Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko agreed on Sunday to further expand the ongoing exercises between the two countries. The two countries' joint military exercises were supposed to end on Sunday, but their expansion has raised concerns that Russia has done so in the wake of the Ukraine crisis to ensure the deployment of its troops in Belarus.
Russia has said it plans to keep about 30,000 troops in Belarus in light of the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine, a statement issued by the two countries said. The move raises concerns that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine, as Belarus shares a long border with Ukraine.
Western nations have accused Russia of using Moscow as a pretext to send troops to invade Ukraine. Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating "Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia's intelligence have been made more than once.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blankenship has said that Russia's expansion of military exercises shows that the world is on the brink of war. According to the BBC's Sarah Ranzford in Eastern Europe, the announcement by Belarussian Defense Minister is another clear indication that Russia does not want to back down from the dispute over Ukraine with the West.
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