Meeting with Putin
Lukashenko foiled a trip to Poland by Wagner mercenaries
7/23/2023 1:34 p.m
When Putin and Lukashenko meet again, the two do not quite agree on the Ukrainian counter-offensive. The Wagner mercenaries are also causing problems for the Belarusian ruler.
For the first time since the uprising of the Wagner mercenary group, Russian President Vladimir Putin has received his allied Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. The two visited a museum honoring the Russian Navy not far from St. Petersburg. According to the Kremlin chief, the working visit will continue on Monday.
Authoritarian Belarus is considered Russia’s most important ally in the war that has been going on for 17 months. Rockets are fired from Belarusian territory. Once again, Putin and Lukashenko downplayed the ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensive. Lukashenko said: “There is no counter-offensive.” Putin replied: “It exists. But it failed.”
Ukraine started its counter-offensive to liberate occupied territories a few weeks ago. She’s not progressing as quickly as she’d hoped. Lukashenko also commented on soldiers from the Russian private army Wagner, who were resettled in Belarus after a failed uprising against Moscow. “The Wagner people started trying to make an effort for us,” he said. The mercenaries wanted to “take a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszów,” he added. Both are cities in Poland.
Lukashenko assured that the mercenaries would remain stationed in central areas of Belarus. Poland’s government had previously expressed concern that Russian fighters were now in the neighboring country. Therefore, Polish troops are to be transferred towards the border with Belarus.
Putin and Lukashenko are close allies. Lukashenko mediated at the end of last month to end the Wagner mercenary uprising in Russia. With an uprising on June 24, the group’s fighters tried to overthrow the Russian military leadership by marching on Moscow. According to Russian information, this was ended after a few hours through the mediation of Lukashenko.