Ukrainian Defense Minister Hopes Belarus Not Joining Russia In Launching Attacks

JAKARTA - Ukraine's Defense Minister said on Tuesday Russia could prepare a strike force in Belarus to launch a new offensive in Ukraine, but he did not expect Minsk forces to take part.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other Ukrainian officials had predicted Moscow could mount a winter offensive, having mobilized more troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Belarus on Monday also increased speculation abroad that Moscow wants its allies to play a more direct role in the war in Ukraine.

Defense Minister Reznikov told Ukrainian television there was no evidence that Russia had begun amassing combat-ready troops in Belarus, which borders Russia and Ukraine, or that Minsk would be drawn into the war.

"I don't think it is in the interest of the Belarusian leadership to waste its military potential," Defense Minister Reznikov told Ukrainian television.

"So I hope they will continue to maintain this balance," he hoped.

It is known that Russian troops used Belarus as a launch pad for the failed offensive on Kyiv in February, but Minsk has yet to join the war directly or send its own troops to the fighting in Ukraine.

Defense Minister Reznikov spoke after another Ukrainian general said Russian planes were training in Belarusian airspace to identify targets in Ukraine for a possible missile strike.

"Therefore, we are taking all measures to lower the threat level," said joint force commander Serhiy Nayev.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said Russian troops had continued to use airfields in Belarus to launch attacks on Ukraine since the February 24 invasion.