Russia and Belarus set to practice joint nuclear drills
The former Soviet republic is a key Russian ally and depends on the large eastern neighbour economically and militarily. It also allowed its territory to be used as a staging post for Moscow 's 2022 offensive in Ukraine. Kyiv , as well as Poland and the Baltic states, have repeatedly sounded alarm over military build-ups in Belarus, where Russia said it would deploy Oreshnik by the end of the year.
'Of course, we will work out the plan for using this type of weaponry together with our Russian colleagues,' Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said when asked if the Zapad drills would include the use of Oreshnik. While the minister confirmed that over 13,000 participants will take part, NATO says the drills could involve as many as 150,000 troops. In late 2024, Russia used the Ukrainian city of Dnipro as a testing ground for its 'experimental' Oreshnik missile without a nuclear warhead.
'We see the situation on our western and northern borders and can't just sit and watch the militarisation and military activity there,' Khrenin was quoted as saying by Belta news agency. Russian state media earlier reported around 13,000 soldiers were originally set to take part in the drills, but the final number of participants was not revealed yet. Meanwhile, two Russian units have reportedly already arrived in Belarus for the war games, while some Belarusian troops are understood to have already moved to Russia for the drills.
The Zapad-2025 military drills, due on September 12-16, usually involve tens of thousands of troops in a show of force close to Belarus's western border with EU and NATO members. Around 200,000 troops participated in the 2021 edition of Zapad, staged just months before Moscow's assault of Ukraine. Belarus, Russia's closest ally, has seen its relations with western neighbours and Ukraine deteriorate over the last few years.
It comes after Ukrainian and European leaders pursued last-ditch efforts on Wednesday to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to strike a Ukraine peace deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin, which they fear could sell out Kyiv's interests. Trump and Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday for talks on how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two.
Trump has said both sides will have to swap territory to end the fighting, which has cost tens of thousands of lives. In a day of intense diplomacy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and Trump.
The Europeans are worried that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine and embolden Putin to expand further west in the future. Since announcing the Alaska summit, Trump has played down expectations for the talks, saying it would be a 'feel-out' meeting as he seeks to end Moscow's war on Ukraine.
In a first video conference on Wednesday, Zelensky and his host, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, met the leaders of Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss their pitch to Trump and try and shape the outcome of Friday's summit.
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