Russia ups defense ties with Belarus amid tensions with NATO

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s defense chief has voiced concern about a buildup of NATO’s forces near the country’s borders, and called for stronger defense ties with neighboring Belarus. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted recent efforts to boost military cooperation between the two allies, including modernization of military infrastructure for shared use by their armed forces. After Wednesday’s meeting of Russian and Belarusian top military brass, Shoigu noted that he and his Belarusian counterpart extended agreements on two Russia military facilities in Belarus — an early warning radar in the Brest region near Poland and a naval communications center near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. He didn’t specify for how long they were extended.