Belarus will not formally merge with Russia in the near future, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on March 14 while addressing the Russian Federation Council.
"If we are going to burst through this open door, we will ruin everything we have done. It is necessary to go calmly, step by step," Lukashenko said.
In early January, independent Russian media Meduza reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin, that Putin may revisit plans to formally absorb Belarus once the war against Ukraine is resolved.
Despite his claim of maintaining relations with a range og global actors including China, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the EU, Lukashenko said that Minsk will "always side with Moscow."
https://kyivindependent.com/belarus-will-not-merge-with-russia-in-the-near-futu re-lukashenko-says/
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* Origin: Ukraine News from various sources (2:263/1)