Putin and Lukashenko meet in St Petersburg to discuss ways to expand the Russia-Belarus alliance

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — The leaders of Russia and Belarus have discussed ways to further expand their alliance that has seen the deployment of some of Russia’s nuclear weapons on the territory of its neighbor. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia and Belarus have developed a “strategic partnership” as part of their 25-year union agreement. Putin was speaking at the start of Monday’s talks in St. Petersburg that involved senior officials from both countries. The 25-year union agreement stopped short of a full merger but envisaged close political, economic and military ties between the two nations. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for nearly three decades.