Kremlin denies report accusing Russia of pressuring Belarus to broaden Ukraine war

The Kremlin on Thursday denied media reports accusing Moscow of trying to pressure neighboring Belarus to broaden the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“As for the message from this publication that you mentioned, it is absolutely not true,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question by a reporter at a press briefing.

Citing former and current Russian and European officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Moscow commenced a “pressure campaign” on Minsk earlier this year “in hopes of using it as a springboard” to expand the over-four-year conflict or to launch nonconventional operations against NATO members.

“We have a Union State, and we have a whole list of joint projects on the agenda. We have the most advanced form of integration with Belarus, which is ongoing, and Belarus is our closest ally,” Peskov went on to say.

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to draw Belarus deeper into the war, accusing Moscow of considering operations from Belarusian territory toward Ukraine or potentially against a NATO member state.

Most recently, Zelenskyy warned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last Friday to remove signal relay stations from Belarus’ territory, saying Ukraine would act if they are not dismantled within a week.

Zelenskyy said Monday that these stations stopped operating, citing information reported to him from Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and his country’s intelligence services.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a roundtable discussion on Ukraine on Tuesday that Moscow is ready to take all necessary measures under its security treaty with Belarus in response to “threats” by Ukraine.