On Monday, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks on Ukraine’s border with Belarus — one sign of how Vladimir Putin has swallowed the country of Belarus while the world was watching the war in Ukraine. Belarusian troops may now supplement Russians in the effort to conquer Kyiv, and Belarus could serve as a new base for Russian nuclear weapons. Here’s some background on how Putin effectively annexed Belarus, and made it the model for what he still hopes to do with Ukraine.
What is the relationship between Russia and Belarus?
Belarus, a country of around 9.5 million people that sits on Russia’s eastern border and Ukraine’s northern border, has been in Vladimir Putin’s sights as long as Ukraine has.
