Putin During Meeting with Lukashenko: Ukrainian Counteroffensive Has Failed

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated today that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has "failed," during a meeting with his close ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in Saint Petersburg. Russian news agencies reported Lukashenko saying, "There is no counteroffensive," to which Putin replied, "There is, but it has failed." A channel on the Telegram app linked to Lukashenko reported him jokingly stating that Wagner Group fighters, who are currently training Belarusian forces, are eager to cross the border into Poland, a NATO member. He added, "Wagner's men have started to pressure us. They want to go west. Let's take a trip to Warsaw and Zosow." After Poland decided last week to move military units closer to its border with Belarus in response to the arrival of Wagner Group forces in Belarus, Putin stated that "Moscow will use all means at its disposal to respond to any hostility towards Minsk."