Ukraine boosts defence of border with Belarus

KIEV: Amid fears that Russia may be preparing for a fresh attack, Ukraine is boosting the defences of its border with Belarus, a Minister in Kiev has confirmed.

Speaking to the BBC on Monday night, Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said: "We are building up our defence lines all across the border with Russia and with Belarus."

He added that Ukraine would be bolstering the Belarusian border with armed forces and ammunition.

Yenin's remark came shortly after it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had travelled to Minsk to meet his Belarusian counterpart and ally, Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarus shares a border with Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

While Belarus has not been involved with the ongoing war directly, it did allow Russian troops to use its territory to launch the invasion on February 24, the BBC reported.

Putin and Lukashenko's meeting in Minsk was the first time in three-and-a-half years that the Presidents met in Belarus.

Described as a "working visit", Monday's meeting lasted for more than two hours.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Putin said Russia did not want to "absorb" anyone, adding that unspecified "enemies" wanted to stop Moscow's integration with Belarus.

On his part, Lukashenko thanked Putin for providing Belarus with an S-400 air defence system and Iskander ballistic missile system.