Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov called the hypotheses according to which Vladimir Putin went to Minsk to bring Belarus into the conflict in Ukraine "absolutely stupid inventions" and "baseless".

The Russian president arrived this afternoon in the Belarusian capital to meet his colleague and ally Alexander Lukashenko .

The negotiations between the Russian and Belarusian leaders - according to official communiqués - will focus on relations between the two countries and on international and regional problems .

But also military issues , as Peskov said: "Today we will have the opportunity to take stock of the most urgent commercial and naturally military issues, given the turbulent and chaotic situation that surrounds us," he said.

Meanwhile, Kiev is preparing for "all possible defense scenarios" : the protection of the borders with both Russia and Belarus is "a constant priority" underlined the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

"No matter who or what they push Minsk to do, it won't help them, as well as all other sick ideas in this war against Ukraine and Ukrainians," he added. Then the appeal to partners: «By helping us to fully protect our skies, by providing us with more modern air defense systems in sufficient numbers, you can deprive the terrorist state of its main instrument of terror. This will be one of the most powerful steps that will bring the end of the aggression closer. Russia will have to go the way of ceasing aggression when it can no longer go the way of missile strikes."

(Unioneonline/D)

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