Russian defence minister in Belarus ahead of joint drills

MOSCOW: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus on Thursday (Feb 3) to inspect Russian and Belarusian troops' preparations for joint drills this month, the Interfax news agency reported, amid a tense standoff with the West over neighbouring Ukraine.

Shoigu will also meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.

Moscow's military moves are being closely watched by the West at a time when a build-up of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine has sparked fears of an invasion.

Russia has moved an undisclosed number of troops and military hardware to Belarus, which also borders Ukraine, for the Feb 10 to Feb 20 joint drills, saying it will withdraw them afterwards.

Moscow has denied it plans to launch an attack on Ukraine, while also demanding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv would not be allowed to join the military alliance.

Adding to tensions, Belarus' foreign ministry on Thursday summoned Ukraine's ambassador to protest over the launch of a military drone which Minsk says crossed its border on Jan 24 from Ukraine to spy on a military training facility.

A spokesman for Ukraine's foreign ministry described the move as a provocation and said Ukraine had not used any drones.