While Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus praises ties with Russia, he dismisses all speculation that the country might enter a formal union with the country. Belarus is one of Russia’s firmest allies at this moment.
“I was surprised your visit prompted a stir in the West,” said Mr. Lukashenko to Mr. Putin during the trip to Minsk.
According to analysts, it’s suggested that a union between both countries could enable Mr. Putin to retain influence in Russia’s politics after he steps down as president in March. Currently, he has strong support to be prime minister of Russia.
However, Mr. Putin’s plans after the presidency still remain unknown. But it’s already clear that Mr. Putin will use his popularity and will still remain a powerful player in politics let alone Russian politics.
“Belarus is ready to play its role in the issues of the planned deployment in Europe of US missile defense systems,” states Mr. Lukashenko. However, he did not get into the specifics of what the role Belarus would play.
The US still stands by its plans saying it could help intercept missiles fired from countries like Iran.
While Belarus is one of Russia’s strongest allies, the relationships were recently strained. It was due to efforts of Russia to raise the price of fuel to Belarus.