Concerns mount that Belarus could be a launchpad for a new Russian offensive in Ukraine
Associated Press
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, left,and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, attend a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall inMoscow, Saturday, May 9, 2026, during celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. (Pelagiya Tikhonova, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)In this photo, released by Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, center, speaks to officers as he attends joint nuclear drills held by Russian and Belarusian armed forces in Asipovichy district of Belarus, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP)Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, seen at the screen, take part in a video call as part of joint nuclear drills at the Presidential Situation Centre at the Kremlin in Moscow, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, May 21, 2026, an Iskander missile is launched by a Belarusian crew from the Kapustin Yar firing range in Russia, during joint nuclear drills conducted by Russian and Belarusian militaries. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Sputnik
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left,and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, attend a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall inMoscow, Saturday, May 9, 2026, during celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. (Pelagiya Tikhonova, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)