At a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled plans to hold joint drill operations between Russia and Belarus in February-March. 

"We will conduct it at the beginning of the year, the military will agree there, in March, February, I don’t know when they will decide," Putin said. 

Lukashenko noted that Russia was now taking into consideration his suggestions for exercises in Belarus, saying that their conduct would be useful for the relations of the two countries.

"Today there is an opportunity to calmly, slowly talk about bilateral relations between Russia and Belarus based on the results of the construction of the Union State. Indeed, this year we have made a significant step forward in coordinating positions in the main areas, 28 programs for the development of the Union State have been adopted," Putin said at a meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. 

Lukashenko said that his people welcomed Russia's support and the ongoing cooperation in the defense sector.

"Remember: no matter how our relations develop, we will not remain in debt. I think that we can still do a lot. And I have asked you for a long time not to stop cooperation in the military sphere, the defense industry, and the military-industrial complex," Lukashenko said.

The two countries have made important progress in the advancement of the Union State in 2021, specifically in integration in finance, tax, and customs legislation, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Moreover, these are key things that may be invisible at first glance but are essential from the point of view of building modern integration processes for both states. This is finance, this is taxes, fiscal, customs legislation," he added.

Belarus' Lukashenko: Crimea Legally Russian

In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti on November 30, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko provoked Ukrainian anger with his statement: Crimea is de facto Russian. 

In 2014, Russia reclaimed Crimea from Ukrainian control; although Belarus and Russia hold an alliance, Belarus was not quick to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. However, in the interview, Lukashenko made a clear stance on the matter. 

“After the referendum, Crimea also became de jure Russian,” Lukashenko told RIA, referring to the 2014 Crimea status referendum. Although there was overwhelming support for Crimea's integration into Russia, the West deemed the referendum "invalid."

"If Russia faces aggression from Ukraine, we will be in close contact, economically, legally, and politically with Russia, and this is the main thing," Lukashenko said.

However, for Ukraine, Crimea "is not a field of compromises," as put by Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. "The potential recognition of the occupied Crimea by Belarus will be a point of no return in our bilateral relations, and we will act respectively."