Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader of Belarus, has allowed Russia to use his country’s territory to invade Ukraine, and changed its constitution so it could host Russian nuclear missiles.
But there is one bridge he has so far refused to cross: sending Belarusian troops to join the Russian assault on their common neighbour. “We’re not going to get involved,” Lukashenko told a gathering of security officials this week. “There’s no need for it.”
Yet as Russia’s invasion stalls in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance, officials in Kyiv have warned that Lukashenko — who survived huge anti-regime protests in 2020 largely thanks to Kremlin support — may not be able to keep his troops on the sidelines forever.