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Putin and Lukashenko Discuss Ukraine's Stalled Counteroffensive and Wagner Group's Presence in Belarus
Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko held talks
in St. Petersburg, where they discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Putin stated,
"There is no counteroffensive," referring to Ukraine's attempt to
reclaim captured territory from Russia.
Lukashenko, in
a jocular tone, mentioned that the Wagner Group fighters, now training
Belarusian troops, expressed a desire to push into NATO member Poland, to which
Putin smiled, and Lukashenko clarified that they would remain in central
Belarus as agreed.
Wagner Group and Russian Cover to Belarus against Poland
Belarus had
previously helped end a revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries, and now hosts the
fighters on its territory after Lukashenko brokered a deal with Wagner leader
Yevgeny Prigozhin, preventing a march on Moscow.
In response to
Wagner fighters training Belarusian special forces near the Polish border,
Poland moved additional troops to the area.
Putin warned
Poland that any aggression against Belarus would be seen as an attack on
Russia, and Moscow would respond with all available means to defend Minsk.
Recently,
Putin's remarks about western Poland being a "gift" from Stalin at
the end of World War II caused tension, leading to the summoning of the Russian
ambassador by Warsaw.
The conflict in
Ukraine has been ongoing for nearly 17 months, with Ukraine's counteroffensive
showing limited progress against entrenched Russian forces holding more than a
sixth of its territory.
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