MOSCOW, June 25 (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday denied exerting pressure on Belarus to support an expansion of the war in Ukraine, while Belarus said it was the West that was trying to drag it into the conflict.
The former Soviet state is strategically important to all sides, being closely allied to Moscow and sharing borders with Russia, Ukraine and three NATO states.
With Moscow's forces struggling to advance and Ukraine raining drones on targets far inside Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said repeatedly that he believes Moscow wants to get Belarus more involved on the Russian side.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Russia wanted to use Belarus as a springboard to step up attacks on Ukraine, and that Moscow was threatening to cut financial support if it did not agree.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report "does not correspond to reality" and that Belarus was "our closest ally".
BELARUS SAYS THE WEST IS STOKING TENSION
Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said it was the West that was stoking tension.
"The situation along our borders is extremely unstable, and escalating. Beyond our borders, NATO troop formations are being reinforced, infrastructure is being upgraded, the military budgets of neighbouring states are expanding, and politicians are making strident militaristic statements," he said in a speech to graduating officers.
"Efforts are under way to prolong, and even expand, the hot conflict unleashed by the West in Ukraine. Today, we are acutely aware of a blatant attempt to drag Belarus into the war."
European states vehemently deny Russian allegations that they are responsible for the war in Ukraine, against which Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Last Friday, Zelenskiy said that signal relay stations in Belarus were being used to guide Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. He gave Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a week to remove them, adding: "If he doesn't do it, we'll do it."
On Wednesday, Zelenskiy said the stations had stopped working.
Reuters could not independently verify his assessment. Peskov said he had no information on the issue.
RUSSIA NEEDS BELARUS REFINERIES
While Lukashenko has not sent Belarusian troops to fight alongside Russia, he let President Vladimir Putin use Belarus as a launchpad to invade Ukraine, and later agreed to let Russia station tactical nuclear missiles on Belarusian territory.
Belarus also conducts frequent joint military exercises with Russia and allows Moscow to use its bases and training grounds.
While Moscow is the dominant partner, it also relies on Belarus, which has two large refineries, to process Russian oil and sell gasoline, diesel and jet fuel back to Russia.
That supply loop has become increasingly important this year as Ukraine has intensified attacks on oil refineries in Russia, creating widespread fuel shortages.
In the first five months of this year, rail shipments of gasoline from Belarusian refineries to Russia surged nearly 13-fold compared to the same period last year, while shipments of Belarusian diesel tripled, according to Reuters sources.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov in Moscow and Maxim Rodionov in London; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
