TEMPO.CO, Jakarta — The Kremlin has denied growing speculation about President Vladimir’s visit Cheese fries in Belarus to meet the President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday, December 19, 2022, is to encourage Minsk to play a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine.

Amid fears of the latest escalation in the Ukrainian war, the spokesperson for the presidential office Russia Dmitry Peskov, as reported by news agencies RIA Novosti, said such reports were “baseless” and “stupid”.

Putin is due to arrive in Minsk on Monday afternoon for his first visit in more than three years. Increased military activity, inspections and troop movements in Belarus, one of the launching pads for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has unnerved Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that his country’s border protection mission is a constant priority. Ukraine is ready for all possible defense scenarios. “Protecting our borders, both with Russia and Belarus – is our priority. We are preparing for all possible defense scenarios,” Zelensky said in a routine video address on Sunday evening, December 18, 2022.

Putin visited Belarus on Monday with his defense and foreign ministers. Putin, whose troops have been pushed back in northern, northeast and southern Ukraine since his invasion in February, is playing a more public role in the war. He traveled to his base of operations on Friday, December 16, 2022 to meet with the military commander.

While dismissing reports that Moscow was pressuring Minsk to join what he called a “special military operation”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Belarus was Russia’s “number one ally”.

Ukrainian Joint Forces Commander Serhiy Nayev said he believed the talks would discuss further aggression against Ukraine and wider involvement of Belarusian armed forces, especially in operations against Ukraine . He also expressed his views based on field observations.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top general Valery Zaluzhniy told The Economist last week that Russia was preparing 200,000 fresh troops for a major offensive that could come from the east, the south or even the Belarus as early as January, but more likely in the spring.

Russian troops used Belarus as a launching pad for their failed assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in February, and there has been Russian and Belarusian military activity there for months. Moscow and Minsk have formed joint military units in Belarus and hold numerous exercises. Three Russian fighter jets and an airborne early warning and control aircraft were deployed to Belarus last week.

Lukashenko, the Eastern European leader who is exiled by the West for depending on Moscow’s support, has repeatedly said that Belarus will not enter the war in Ukraine. Foreign diplomats have said that sending Belarusian troops would be very unpopular in the country.

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Western sanctions have made it difficult for Belarus to ship potash fertilizer, its main export, through Baltic ports. Western military analysts say Lukashenko’s small force lacks the strength and combat experience to make much of a difference – but forcing Ukraine to deploy troops north could make it more vulnerable to Russian attacks elsewhere.

The Pentagon said on December 13 that it did not see “any imminent cross-border activity from Belarus at this time.”

Putin’s visit was announced on Friday following Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s surprise trip to Belarus on December 3. He signed an agreement with his Belarusian counterpart whose details were not disclosed.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, one of the few officials in Lukashenko’s government with good relations with the West, died suddenly last month. No official cause of death has been announced. His successor, Sergei Aleinik, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, December 19, 2022.

Lukashenko said he and Putin would discuss long-term efforts to integrate their respective former Soviet republics into the supranational unity state.

The talks are seen by the opposition Belarus as a vehicle for the creeping annexation of Russia. Belarusian State News Agency, BelTAsaid they would take questions from reporters after their appearance.

Reuters