Many observers have concluded that Moscow’s new $2 billion aid package to Belarus is part of a deal to allow Russia to establish a military airbase on the territory of its western neighbor. But it is increasingly clear that Belarus has no intention of allowing the organization of such a base. Moreover, Moscow is developing weapons systems that make such a base unnecessary. And finally, the Russian government is planning to begin manufacturing military goods inside the country that Moscow had long relied on Belarus to produce. Consequently, the Kremlin leadership is, apparently, now caught in a trap of its …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation