TASS reported that on May 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus during a two-day state visit at the invitation of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the Kremlin, on the evening of May 23, the two leaders had an in-depth exchange.
According to the press office of the President of Belarus, the talks between the two heads of state on May 24 will mention the situation and development prospects of the entire Belarus - Russia relationship, such as the integration agenda and the implementation of decisions of the Supreme State Council of the State of the Union, political dialogue, promotion of trade, economic projects and joint cooperation, enhancing security and cooperation in the field of humanitarian affairs.
President Putin said he would discuss security issues with President Lukashenko. The two sides also discussed the second phase of Russia's nuclear drill, which will see the participation of the Belarus military.
We will talk about the second phase of the nuclear weapons exercise, Putin said. This is related to the direct participation of Belarusese friends and colleagues.
On May 21, the Russian military began phase 1 of a tactical nuclear drill in the southern military zone - an area that included Crimea and four former Ukrainian territories in Donbass.
Moscow said the drill was to demonstrate its ability to respond to external threats, thereby preventing further escalation by Western countries supporting Ukraine in the conflict.
The exercise involved transferring nuclear weapons to the military from storage sites, equipping missiles with tactical nuclear warheads and secretly deploying those weapons.
After the Kremlin announced the drill in early May, citing "unprecedented" escalating tensions with the US and its allies over Ukraine, President Lukashenko immediately ordered a similar drill to test Belarus' nuclear-capable weapons systems, including the Iskander missile launcher.
Last year, President Putin agreed to bring a small number of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus at the request of President Lukashenko. At that time, President Lukashenko also said he would not hesitate to use these nuclear weapons if Belarus was attacked.
French President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders have recently hinted at the possibility of deploying NATO forces in Ukraine and allowing the Ukrainian army to use NATO weapons to attack targets deep inside Russia.
President Putin said he had prepared for the visit to Belarus by discussing bilateral cooperation issues with members of the Russian cabinet. That meeting touched on topics such as security, energy and agriculture. Several other Russian leaders are expected to visit Minsk on May 24 to participate in the negotiations.
President Lukashenko invited President Putin to visit Belarus, marking the second overseas trip of the Russian leader since his oath of office for a fifth term on May 7.
President Putin visited China last week to hold talks with President Xi Jinping and he is scheduled to visit Uzbekistan on May 26-27.
