Putin's ally Lukashenko could send Belarusian troops to fight in Ukraine

 Rows of tanks during Russia-Belarus military exercises. February 19, 2022. (Photo - AP)

Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus's leader, said in a statement that US intelligence had raised fears that the country's 47,000-strong force could be deployed in the ongoing war in Ukraine. This will try to strengthen Russia's attack on Ukraine.

So far, Russian forces have been using Belarusian territory to invade Kiev from northern Ukraine. It is thought that a small number of Belarusian special forces took part in the fighting. However, now that the attack has met with more resistance than Russia had hoped and it has not yet been possible to occupy Kiev, it seems that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has sought the help of his longtime ally to speed up the attack.

If Belarus is fully involved in the conflict, the risk of another battlefield will increase. It is feared that Belarus will not only strengthen Russia by blocking the Ukrainian capital, but will also launch more widespread attacks in northwestern and central Ukraine. This will put the city of Lviv at risk. Thousands of people are trapped in the city, fleeing the Russian onslaught. Many have to wait up to two days to cross the border into Poland.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had earlier said that Belarus would not take part in any military operation against Ukraine. He said after a meeting with Putin on February 24 that he had agreed to allow Russian troops to stay in Belarus. He has since said that Ukraine is losing the war and has offered to hold peace talks in Belarus.