Putin's 'Machiavellian' talks to turn Belarus into 'puppet regime'

While Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been meeting with his key ally in Poland, Vladimir Putin has initiated parallel talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

His aims are "Machiavellian", according to military analyst Sean Bell, who said Mr Putin seeks to turn Belarus into a "puppet regime".
The former air vice marshall told Sky News Mr Putin is using "all the political tools at his disposal to increase control over Belarus".

The Russian leader has said he will station nuclear weapons in the country, and has put pressure on its integration with Russia as a Union State.
Mr Bell said: "The aim is to create a borderless alliance between Russia and Belarus, and President Putin has certainly put a lot more urgency around that probably because the war is not going well in Ukraine and he wants to secure Belarus."

This is part of the Russian leader's designs for a revived Soviet Union, which have been thwarted in Ukraine, said the analyst.
Mr Putin's Soviet-style plans are the same factors driving Poland's staunch support for Ukraine.

Mr Bell said: "Poland will be really concerned about Putin's long-term ambitions outside of Ukraine itself."
He added that Mr Zelenskyy's talks with the president and prime minister of Poland were "not routine", but rather a visit that will have "strategic consequences".