Minsk (AFP)

White House National Security Advisor John Bolton was in Minsk on Thursday for rare talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been leading the former Soviet republic for 25 years.

Bolton to hold talks with Lukashenko and Belarussian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei to "discuss regional security and highlight US support for Belarusian sovereignty and independence," said the state embassy In Minsk.

This visit is likely to be viewed very badly by Russia, which regards its Belarusian neighbor as a crucial partner.

It comes after a meeting on Wednesday between John Bolton and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev where the US adviser insisted on the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine in the face of an armed conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the country. is from the country.

Long described as the "last dictatorship of Europe", Belarus has attracted sanctions from the international community after the reelection of Alexander Lukashenko in 2010 to a fourth presidential term and repression against the opposition and independent media that followed him.

These sanctions were largely lifted after the release of political prisoners in 2015, when Lukashenko was re-elected for a fifth presidential term.

Speculation is rife in recent years, especially in Russian media, about a possible unification between Russia and Belarus in a single state, which could allow Russian President Vladimir Putin, who does not have the right under the Constitution to stand in the presidential election of 2024, to stay in power after the end of his current term.

For his part, Mr Lukashenko said this year that 98% of the Belarusian population were opposed to such unification.

According to analysts, Mr Bolton's trip, which will then travel to Moldova, another former Soviet republic, aims to search for "weak spots" on Russian borders.

"The United States seems to be looking for holes to strengthen its influence in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova," said US think tank Stratfor.

© 2019 AFP