Russia, Belarus defence ministers hold talks in Minsk - state media

Belarus has said it will not enter the war in Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin, the state-run Belta news agency said on Saturday. The two sides discussed bilateral military cooperation and amended an agreement on the "joint provision of regional security", it said, without providing further detail.

Russia and Belarus are formally part of a "union state" and are closely allied economically and militarily, with Moscow using Belarus as a staging post for its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has said it will not enter the war in Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West.