Ukraine crisis: Russia and Belarus begin military drills amid drive to ease tensions

Diplomatic moves to ease tensions over Ukraine are scheduled to intensify on Thursday — but so too are military maneuvers on both sides amid the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

The Russian and Belarusian armies have begun joint military exercises in Belarus, the defence ministry in Moscow said in a statement (in Russian).

“The purpose of the exercise is to work on methods to stop and repel external aggression within the framework of a defensive operation,” it said.

Neither country has specified the resources involved in the drills, but the West has claimed that 30,000 Russian troops have been deployed to Belarus to take part.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is confirming that US troops are in Poland in preparation for further conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Also on Thursday, foreign policy advisers from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine will meet in Berlin in the “Normandy format” to see if it’s possible to revive peace efforts, Chancellor Scholz’s office said.

The UK is ready to deploy an extra 1,000 soldiers in the event of a “humanitarian crisis” linked to the tensions in Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, ahead of a planned visit to see NATO allies in Brussels and Warsaw.

AP, AFP