Belarus, Russia To Hold Drills Near Border With Ukraine In Next 2 Months - Lukashenko

Belarus and Russia will hold military drills near the border with Ukraine in the next 2 months, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told RIA Novosti in an interview

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2021) Belarus and Russia will hold military drills near the border with Ukraine in the next 2 months, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told RIA Novosti in an interview.

"We agreed with (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin that we will hold joint exercises on the southern border, Belarus-Ukraine border, in the near future," Lukashenko said.

According to the Belarusian leader, these drills will be conducted in two stages "in the next two months."

"We are still making up these plans, but we will definitely carry out the first stage in the winter," Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian leader additionally said that the counrty's army could be increased by 5,000 more soldiers to 70,000 to "cover the south."

"We currently have 65,000 (soldiers), we will probably have 70,000 since we need to 'cover the south,'" the president added.