Putin, Lukashenko hold talks on defense, economic ties

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart have discussed expanding their economic cooperation and bolstering defense ties between their nations. Russia used Belarus as a staging ground for invading neighboring Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there. Last month, Putin said Russia next plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine. The Kremlin talks on Thursday involved senior officials from both countries and followed Putin’s one-on-one meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday.