Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Minsk for talks with his Belarusian ally Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin's visit comes at a time when there are fears about the narrowing of the alliance between the two countries in terms of actions taken on the war in Ukraine.
The Russian leader's trip will be his first to Minsk since 2019.
Lukashenko personally meets Putin at the airport in Minsk.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 19, 2022
Putin visited Belarus for the first time since June 2019.
Presumably, he arrived to persuade Lukashenko about direct involvement in the war pic.twitter.com/jSW6EN8vIz
Meanwhile, international media reports that Putin has stated that Russia is ready to develop nuclear projects in Belarus.
The Russian president also emphasized that Belarus is not just a neighbor, but an ally.
"Belarus is not only a good neighbor, but also an ally, so all economic issues are resolved based on this fact," he added.