by Martha Serafini
Belarusian President welcomes Kremlin leader. New attacks on the capital are underway. Belarus uses Moscow’s missiles
FROM OUR REPORTER
Kyiv – “Rebellious” ally Alexander Lukashenko left nothing out at the ceremonial reception of the Kremlin leader. Flowers, hostesses, sweets. And, of course, a personal reception at Minsk airport, while many observers recall that Lukashenko is by no means “stubborn”, but ready to do whatever Vladimir Putin asks of him.
Whatever the truth, yesterday after the meeting, the first face-to-face meeting since 2019, Lukashenko announced the deployment of S-400 Iskander missiles supplied by Russia. And not only. Minsk and Moscow agreed to continue joint military operations, and the creation of a common air defense space was discussed. Promises that continued with Putin’s reassurances about the rumors of Belarus’ absorption. “Russia has no interest in taking anyone in. Today we can say unequivocally: together we managed not only to survive, but also to find opportunities for the development of our economies.” And when Putin forgets Crimea and the Ukrainian territories annexed by force of arms, he thinks of the balance of power in the West , when he claims to have had working relationships “with many opponents, including Macron”.
Since Kyiv, however, it has been repeatedly reiterated that fears that the Kremlin might put pressure on the Belarusian regime to involve it in the invasion of Ukraine or to attempt another attack from Belarusian territory are well founded. In recent days, Ukrainian general Valery Saluzhny singled out the Economist to suspect a new offensive against Kyiv in the early months of next year. However, the scenario has also been denied by the White House itself in recent days, especially since the Moscow army now seems to have very few forces, especially on the ground.
However, the situation remains different in the Ukrainian sky. Yesterday morning, just before dawn, another attack left Kyiv and other regions partially without light again. The Ukrainian military says it shot down 30 of at least 35 kamikaze drones launched from the Sea of Azov. And the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Agency accuses Russia of launching a drone over a nuclear power plant in the Mykolayiv region and thus committing “an absolutely unacceptable violation of nuclear safety.”
In the meantime, warships from the Russian Pacific Fleet have set sail to take part in joint naval exercises with China. while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova again threatened: “Moscow asks the Biden administration to assess the situation soberly and to refrain from dangerous escalations”.
December 19, 2022 (change December 19, 2022 | 23:40)
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