Photo: Natalia Gubernatorova
President Vladimir Putin said that the initiated Russian-Belarusian exercises Zapad-2021 are not directed against anyone. The statement was made at a press conference following his talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
“But keeping them (exercise – MK) is logical,” Putin added.
He explained that NATO is actively increasing its presence near the borders of the Union and the CSTO as a whole.
Putin added that in talks with Lukashenko he also discussed “issues of building a common defense space.” “