US official: Belarus preparing to send soldiers to Ukraine
“It is very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” the official said
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced skepticism that talks planned with Russia for near the Belarus border would yield results but said he was willing to try if it meant any chance of peace. Russia’s central bank temporarily banned non-residents from selling securities and the U.S. advised its citizens to consider leaving Russia immediately.
Belarus could send troops into Ukraine to support the Russian invasion on Monday, a US official, seeking anonymity told the Washington Post.
“It is very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” the official said.
Earlier, a referendum in Belarus approved a new constitution ditching the country’s non-nuclear status, which could now see the country getting Russian weapons.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the former Soviet Republic has been used as a launching pad for the unprovoked attack.
The new constitution could see nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil for the first time since the country gave them up when the Soviet Union collapsed.
