China and Belarus conduct joint military exercises right next to NATO and EU’s border

CNN —

Belarus and China kicked off 11-day joint military training exercises Monday, Belarus’ defense ministry said – with activities taking place just miles from the border of Poland, a NATO and European Union member.

The joint anti-terrorist training “Attacking Falcon” exercises in Belarus would see military personnel from both countries “act together” as one unit in certain stages, Major General Vadim Denisenko of the Belarusian military said in a Telegram post.

“Events in the world are complex, the situation is complex, therefore, having studied new forms and methods of conducting warfare, here we will work out all these moments considering all that is new that has been learnt in the past two years,” Denisenko said.

The joint exercises are being held at a training ground near the city of Brest on the Belarus-Poland border and some 40 miles from Minsk’s border with Ukraine. They come as Russia’s invasion of that country more than two years has hardened geopolitical divisions and continues to threaten broader regional security.

Beijing and Minsk have been tightening their ties in recent years under Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, both autocrats and strong allies of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

The start of the anti-terrorism exercises coincided with a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Warsaw, where he signed a security agreement with Polish Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

They also began on the eve of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington – a gathering where leaders will look to shore up support for Ukraine nearly two and a half years since Russia’s invasion.

NATO and the EU have long accused Belarus of weaponizing the border by pushing