by Zohra Rangwala
In hopes to take over Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have been working together using their economic and military strength. Russian President Vladimir Putin along with the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko have extended military drills in order to advance the invasion.
Russia is Belarus’s most important economic and political partner, with both of them being members of various international organizations. This relationship has enhanced Russia’s advances in Ukraine. As tensions increase between Kyiv and Moscow, around 30,000 Russian troops stay in Belarus as the Belarusian leader Lukashenko points out that he is willing to support Russian forces if necessary.
Belarus has also passed a referendum on Sunday, February 27th, which abandons its non-nuclear status, leaving room for nuclear weapons to possibly be placed on Belarusian soil for the first time since the Soviet Union collapsed. The move was widely criticized by the West, who have already said that they would not accept the results.
Josep Borrell, a representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs said that “Belarus’s involvement in the ongoing unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine will come at a high price.” Meanwhile, Belarus continues to assist Russia against Ukraine by allowing the Russian military to fire ballistic missiles from Belarusian territory and allowing Russia to transport its military, weapons, and tanks across its territory as well as allowing Russian aircraft to fly over Belarusian air space into Ukraine.
The assistance of the invasion has led to sanctions against Belarus by the US as well as the UK, a travel ban, which impedes those listed from entering or transiting through EU territories, and asset freezes, which are used against the funds or economic resources of listed persons. The UK already has sanctioned more than 100 Belarus politicians for throwing thousands of its citizens into jail for protesting stolen elections and the US has threatened to punish the Belarusian economy.
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