Russia and Belarus will hold joint maneuvers at the beginning of the year

During talks in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin welcomed the proposal by the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to hold joint exercises of the armed forces, stating that they will take place in February or March.

Putin added that the military will work to coordinate the details.

Putin made the statement at a time when Russian troops were concentrating on Ukraine’s border, raising concerns among Kiev and the West about another Russian attack.

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Some officials in Ukraine have warned that Russia could invade Ukraine from the territory of Belarus.

Russia and Belarus have reached an agreement on a union of close political, economic and military ties, and Moscow has continued to support Lukashenko under Western pressure.

Tensions between Western and Minsk escalated last summer as Lukashenko launched a hybrid operation against the European Union in an attempt to send thousands of Middle Eastern migrants into the bloc.

In a show of support for Lukashenko, Russia staged joint maneuvers with Belarus in September, but in recent weeks Moscow has sent bombers capable of being equipped with nuclear weapons to patrol Belarus.

Russian and Belarusian jet fighters patrolled Belarusian airspace on Wednesday.

Last month, Lukashenko said he was ready for the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.