Putin and Lukashenko monitor NATO together: "It is increasing its presence near our borders"

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What the end of the USSR separated is united by concern for NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko met on Thursday in Moscow to strengthen ties between the two countries as they begin joint military exercises on the Belarusian border that 'touches' with the Atlantic Alliance. In his remarks to journalists, Putin argued that it is logical to carry out large-scale drills on the western border considering that NATO "is increasing its presence near our borders."

The situation inside and outside their countries, with intermittent internal turmoil and an ongoing confrontation with the West, has brought the two longest-serving leaders on the European continent closer together. It was their

face to face this year, just 13 months after Belarus was engulfed in unprecedented mass protests, the biggest challenge for Lukashenko since he took power in 1994.

According to Putin, part of the 28 agreements reached are aimed at

and customs

of the two countries, linking the markets for oil and petroleum products. On

, a document will be signed on the creation of a unified gas market in the framework of the State of the Union of Russia and Belarus.

After the meeting, Putin announced that both had reached an agreement on

a fundamental issue for Belarus, which has an economy largely subsidized by the cheap prices of Russian hydrocarbons. Lukashenko needs Moscow's support today to keep his economy running and to keep unrest in the street, which has grown exponentially, under control. On the agenda of the meeting was, once again, the

a geopolitical pirouette that would imply a political, military and economic integration, even with a single currency. Russia is Minsk's main supporter in the face of growing international isolation. But the Belarusian autocrat does not want to be a Kremlin subordinate either.

For the moment Putin is content with arming Belarus to make it a barrier against NATO. This week Moscow delivered three fighters to Belarus to form a Joint Training Center. On the eve of Lukashenko's visit to Moscow, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Russian Sukhoi fighter jets had arrived in Belarus to help patrol the borders as part of a new joint military deployment.

Tensions along Belarus's border with the European Union have increased in recent months. Brussels accused Minsk of sending thousands of migrants to the bloc via Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Most Western countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president and punished his government with

for the repression against the opposition, independent media, human rights NGOs and civil society. From the other side of the crisis, the two countries are preparing military maneuvers on the NATO border: the Zapad-2021 exercises. The active part of the exercise begins today Friday and will last until September 16. The Russian Defense Ministry said that up to 200,000 military personnel, some 80 planes and helicopters, up to 15 ships and almost 300 tanks will participate. The drills include live fire and will be the culmination of three-month-long exercises.

From NATO they have warned that the

, which had their precedent with a huge Russian military concentration on the borders of Ukraine earlier this year,

or a miscalculation that could trigger a crisis.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said the drills were purely defensive in nature and would give Moscow and Minsk a chance to improve the way their respective armies work together.

Military from Armenia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia also participate in the exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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