Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was heading to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Friday evening, state media reported, a visit that comes amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Belarus.
Lukashenko and Putin will discuss bilateral relations, as well as the “current regional and global situation,” according to the state-run news agency Belta. No other details regarding the previously unannounced visit were provided.
The timing of the trip appears significant as it follows days of heightened rhetoric between Belarus and Ukraine.
Lukashenko accused the Ukrainian military of launching a drone strike in Russia’s Bryansk region last week that hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened to strike radar stations inside Belarus, accusing the country of helping Russia launch attacks on Ukrainian territory.
