Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in the capital Minsk, December 2024. (Source: Reuters) |
This statement was made by Mr. Putin in response to a request from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during the Summit in Minsk.
According to Mr. Lukashenko, Belarus will determine the targets of the Oreshnik missiles deployed on its territory.
Last month, Russia launched an Oreshnik missile at a Ukrainian city, in what Mr Putin described as the weapon's first test in war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko signed a joint security agreement in Minsk on December 6, TASS news agency reported.
The two leaders, close allies, met in the Belarusian capital to mark the 25th anniversary of the Union State – a borderless union between the two former Soviet republics.
According to TASS, Mr. Putin said that the signed treaty "will help reliably protect the security of Russia and Belarus, thereby creating conditions for the peaceful and sustainable development of the two countries."
Moscow and Minsk regularly hold joint military exercises. A post-Soviet military bloc led by Russia is expected to hold exercises in Belarus in September 2025.
* In a development related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 6 appointed MP Alexander Khinshtein as acting Governor of Kursk province to handle the "crisis" in this region, which is partially controlled by Ukraine.
“It is necessary to resolve the crisis there,” Mr. Putin stated during a meeting with Mr. Khinshtein, stressing that supporting the population is the top priority.
The decision came after Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Kursk in August 2024, forcing thousands of people to evacuate the border area.
By November 2024, Ukraine claimed to have controlled 800 square kilometers of territory here.
His predecessor, Alexei Smirnov, who took office in September 2024, resigned amid widespread criticism of his handling of the Ukrainian incursion. Many locals took to social media to express their anger at the former official’s lack of warning and poor response to the crisis.
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