Kremlin denies pushing Belarus to expand Ukraine war as Minsk points at West

Russia on Thursday denied exerting pressure on Belarus to support an expansion of the war in Ukraine, while Belarus claimed it was the West that was trying to drag it into the conflict.

The former Soviet state of Belarus is strategically important, being closely allied to Moscow and sharing borders with Russia, Ukraine and three NATO member states.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he believes Moscow wants Belarus to become more involved on the Russian side, as Russian forces struggle to advance and Ukraine launches drone attacks deep inside Russia.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Russia wanted to use Belarus as a springboard to intensify attacks on Ukraine, and that Moscow was threatening to cut financial support if Belarus did not agree.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the report false, stating that Belarus is “our closest ally.”

Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said it was the West that was stoking tension. “The situation along our borders is extremely unstable, and escalating. Beyond our borders, NATO troop formations are being reinforced, infrastructure is being upgraded, the military budgets of neighbouring states are expanding, and politicians are making strident militaristic statements,” he said in a speech to graduating officers. “Efforts are under way to prolong, and even expand, the hot conflict unleashed by the West in Ukraine. Today, we are acutely aware of a blatant attempt to drag Belarus into the war.”

European states have vehemently denied Russian allegations that they are responsible for the war in Ukraine, which Russia launched a full-scale invasion of in 2022.

Last Friday, Zelenskyy said that signal relay stations in Belarus were being used to guide Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. He gave Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a week to remove them, warning, “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it.” On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the stations had stopped working. Reuters could not independently verify his assessment. Peskov said he had no information on the issue.

While Lukashenko has not sent Belarusian troops to fight alongside Russia, he allowed President Vladimir Putin to use Belarus as a launchpad to invade Ukraine and later agreed to let Russia station tactical nuclear missiles on Belarusian territory. Belarus also conducts frequent joint military exercises with Russia and allows Moscow to use its bases and training grounds.

Moscow relies on Belarus’s two large refineries to process Russian oil and sell gasoline, diesel and jet fuel back to Russia. This supply loop has become increasingly important as Ukraine has intensified attacks on oil refineries in Russia, creating widespread fuel shortages. In the first five months of this year, rail shipments of gasoline from Belarusian refineries to Russia surged nearly 13-fold compared to the same period last year, while shipments of Belarusian diesel tripled, according to Reuters sources.