Why did Russian defense minister come to Minsk when Russia-Ukraine talks were in progress?

MINSK, 18 May (BelTA) – Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has explained on the air of the TV channel Belarus One why he had come to Belarus at the height of Russia-Ukraine talks, BelTA has learned.

Although a Russian delegation and a Ukrainian one were in negotiations in Istanbul, the Russian defense minister was in Belarus on a visit. “Our relations with Belarus are unshakeable and stay outside time. It is not simply our closest ally. We have common defense space. And it is necessary to reinforce it in conditions of the most complicated situation. This is why I am here,” Andrei Belousov explained.