Even before President Vladimir Putin, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to neighboring Belarus for talks on Monday. Putin is expected in the afternoon for his first visit to the capital Minsk in three years.

After his arrival, Lavrov spoke with his new colleague Sergei Alejnik about the situation in the war against Ukraine, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. It was also about how Russia and Belarus could defend themselves against political pressure from sanctions from other countries.

The official statement from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on the meeting between Lavrov and Alejnik mentioned the sanctions, but there was no reference to Ukraine. Alejnik took over the ministerial post from Vladimir Makej, who died suddenly in November.

Kremlin: Putin does not want to force Belarus to enter the war

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov countered suspicions that Putin wanted to force Belarus to enter the war against Ukraine. These are "stupid and unfounded pipe dreams," he said, according to the state news agency Ria Nowosti. Because of the tense situation, however, Putin will take the opportunity to talk to Head of State Alexander Lukashenko about military issues.

According to information from Minsk, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu and his Belarusian colleague Viktor Chrenin are to take part in the presidential meeting. Putin uses Belarus as a training ground and staging area for his war of aggression against Ukraine.