Russia and Belarus plan to enhance defense cooperation amid tensions with the West

Europe, News January 1, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian News Agency TASS in an interview that Russia and Belarus plan to develop defense cooperation amid increasing tensions with the U.S. and its allies.

“I would like to note that the activity of our foreign policy offices is aimed at searching for ways of settling any matters in a political-diplomatic way. Nevertheless, in view of non-readiness of the West to look for taking the middle path, the program [of coordinated foreign policy actions] contains provisions pertaining to coordination of interaction in military-political aspects and defense cooperation development,” Sergey Lavrov told TASS.

Russian foreign minister noted that the Military Doctrine of the Union State, which was approved on November 4, would serve as an important step for realizing common objectives. “It fully caters for significant changes in the military-political situation in Eastern Europe that have occurred in recent years,” Lavrov added.

With the deepened union agreement, both countries seek to develop close political, economic, and military ties.

Earlier on December 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg and agreed to hold another round of joint military drills in early 2022.

The meeting between Russian and Belarussian leaders was the latest move in a series of cooperation between the two countries. In recent weeks, Moscow has sent nuclear-capable bombers over Minsk for patrol and deployed Su-30SM aircraft for joint patrols in Belarus’s air space.

Recently, Russia has also assigned anti-aircraft missile forces to joint missions along Belarus’s border, neighboring NATO. According to Russia’s RIA Novosti, under the Zapad-2021 joint war games, about 200,000 troops, hundreds of aircraft, armored vehicles, and ships from both countries will participate.

Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow sees Washington and its allies as fueling the war in eastern Ukraine. “The civil war in Ukraine, ongoing for eight years, is far from over. The country’s authorities don’t intend to resolve the conflict” through diplomacy, Lavrov said.

In recent months, the U.S. and its allies have warned Russia to halt its troops’ buildup near Ukraine and abandon its invasion plans. Ukrainian officials have also expressed concerns that Russia may use Belarusian territory to launch an attack on Ukraine.

The Russian officials blame NATO and Ukraine for provocations, deny any such plans of attacking Ukraine and urge that Moscow has every right to move its troops within its national territory