China conducts drills with Belarus on Polish boarder as European tensions rise

[KARAH RUCKER]

CHINA AND BELARUS LAUNCHED JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES NEAR THE POLISH AND UKRAINIAN BORDERS, SPARKING CONCERNS ACROSS EUROPE. THE DRILLS, DUBBED “EAGLE ASSAULT,” ARE TAKING PLACE NEAR THE CITY OF BREST IN BELARUS — SITUATED DIRECTLY ON THE POLISH BORDER AND JUST 30 MILES FROM UKRAINE’S NORTHERN FRONTIER.

THE BELARUSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY HAS CONFIRMED THE ARRIVAL OF CHINESE MILITARY PERSONNEL, MARKING THE FIRST TIME CHINA HAS PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING EXERCISES ON BELARUSIAN SOIL SINCE SIMILAR ACTIVITIES IN 2018 IN EASTERN CHINA. THESE SO-CALLED “ANTI-TERRORISM TRAINING” EXERCISES ARE SET TO CONTINUE THROUGH MID-JULY.

THE EXERCISES COINCIDE WITH A NATO SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, RAISING THE STAKES IN AN ALREADY TENSE GEOPOLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. THESE DRILLS NOT ONLY DEMONSTRATE THE STRENGTHENING MILITARY TIES BETWEEN CHINA, BELARUS, AND RUSSIA BUT ALSO COME ON THE HEELS OF BELARUS BECOMING THE 10TH FULL MEMBER OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION.

THIS BLOC, CHAMPIONED BY CHINA AND RUSSIA, POSITIONS ITSELF AS A COUNTERBALANCE TO WESTERN-LED ALLIANCES BACKING UKRAINE.

BELARUS’S COMMITMENT TO RUSSIA, PARTICULARLY EVIDENT SINCE THE 2022 UKRAINIAN CONFLICT BEGAN, COMPLICATES THE SITUATION. BELARUS HAS SUPPORTED RUSSIA LOGISTICALLY AND HAS HOSTED RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ASSETS, AMPLIFYING CONCERNS FOR NATO AND ITS EU NEIGHBORS.

THE STRATEGIC LOCATION OF THE DRILLS NEAR POLAND — A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF UKRAINE — ADDS A LAYER OF PROVOCATION. THESE EXERCISES ARE NOT ONLY ABOUT BOLSTERING MILITARY CAPABILITIES BUT ALSO ABOUT DEMONSTRATING POWER.

FURTHERMORE, THEY OCCUR AMID ALLEGATIONS OF BELARUS WEAPONIZING MIGRATION AGAINST POLAND, DEEPENING TENSIONS AND HIGHLIGHTING THE CHALLENGES AT EUROPE’S EASTERN FRONT.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M KARAH RUCKER.

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