Belarus President: Hindustan Times reports that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is in a critical state in a Moscow hospital. Belarus is one of the staunchest allies of Russia.Lukashenko had gone to Moscow for consultations with President Vladimir Putin.Meanwhile, Valery Tsepkalo, Belarus’ opposition leader, has alleged that Lukashenko had been poisoned in Moscow. The same Hindustan Times report quotes Tsepkalo as saying, “The orchestrated efforts to save the Belarusian dictator are aimed to dispel speculations regarding Kremlin’s alleged involvement in his poisoning.”
Why does Belarus support Russia against Ukraine?
Belarus was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Like many other republics, Belarus also broke away from the USSR and became an independent country. However, lately, the former Soviet republic has become a staunch Moscow supporter against Ukraine.In 2020, Putin supported Lukashenko in Belarus’ elections, which is disputed by many entities, including Tsepkalo. In return, Belarus has allowed its territory to be used as a staging ground for Russian attacks against Ukraine.
Belarus is also important to Moscow because it allows the latter access to Kaliningrad, an isolated Russian enclave bordering the Baltic Sea. It should be borne in mind that Belarus borders Lithuania and Poland, both NATO member countries.
Moscow invaded Kyiv in February 2022 on charges of violating the Minsk Agreement signed between Ukraine and Russia-backed forces in eastern Ukraine. This agreement brokered with the help of Russia, France and Germany recognized the political aspirations of Ukrainians living east of the Dnieper.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine also stemmed from the news that Kyiv was planning to become a member of NATO. Assuming NATO accepted Kyiv’s application, this would have exposed Russia’s southern borders to the US-led military front.
Experts say that Russia has not only deterred Kyiv from joining NATO, it has also carved out a Russia-friendly enclave in eastern Ukraine.
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