Rajnath Singh holds key bilateral talks in Bishkek to boost defence ties; discusses West Asia security with China, Russia

April 28, 2026 10:03 PM

Rajnath Singh holds key bilateral talks in Bishkek to boost defence ties; discusses West Asia security with China, Russia

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek on April 28, aimed at strengthening defence cooperation and addressing regional security concerns. During his meeting with Kyrgyz Defence Minister Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich, Singh discussed ways to deepen existing defence ties and enhan...

Belarus, Lithuania trade diplomatic barbs over alleged airspace violations

December 2, 2025 12:29 PM

Belarus, Lithuania trade diplomatic barbs over alleged airspace violations

Belarus and European Union member Lithuania exchanged diplomatic barbs and issued official protests on Monday, with each side accusing the other of airspace violations. Belarus, which allowed its territory to be used for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accused Lithuania of deploying a drone to spy on it and drop "extremist material," a charge Vilnius rejected as false. Lithuania complained to the EU after Vilnius airport said on Sunday it was forced to halt flights due to suspected ballo...

India to begin FTA negotiations with Russia-led EAEU from Wednesday

November 25, 2025 9:53 PM

India to begin FTA negotiations with Russia-led EAEU from Wednesday

India will begin formal negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) from Wednesday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Goyal said the discussions with the five-member EAEU bloc — Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — will take place in New Delhi following the signing of the Terms of Reference on August 20, 2025. “The FTA talks start fr...

Russia and Belarus start military exercise near NATO border after drone incursion

September 12, 2025 12:53 PM

Russia and Belarus start military exercise near NATO border after drone incursion

Russian and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on NATO's doorstep on Friday that will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said. The "Zapad-2025" exercise - a show of force by Russia and its close ally - is taking place at an exceptionally tense moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace. The Zapad ("West") exercise was sc...

Lukashenko tells Trump envoy that he could release prisoners

September 11, 2025 4:59 PM

Lukashenko tells Trump envoy that he could release prisoners

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told an envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday that he was ready to make a deal on releasing prisoners, the state-run Belta news agency reported. Lukashenko greeted John Coale, a lawyer acting on behalf of Trump, in Minsk. Coale passed a letter from Trump in English to Lukashenko signed "Donald", Belta showed. "If Donald insists that he is ready to take in all these released prisoners, God bless you, let's try to work out a global deal, as Mr...

India, Belarus hold first-ever Consular Dialogue in Minsk

September 16, 2024 6:08 PM

India, Belarus hold first-ever Consular Dialogue in Minsk

On June 28, India and Belarus conducted their first-ever Consular Dialogue in Minsk, marking a significant step in bilateral relations. The meeting focused on a wide range of consular issues, including the welfare of Indian students in Belarus and efforts to boost tourism between the two nations. The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Aman Puri, Joint Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa Division) while the Belarusian delegation was led by Andrei Kozhan, Head of General Directorate for Consular...

Grateful to Indian side for supporting Belarus in becoming full member of SCO, says envoy Mikhail Kasko

May 9, 2024 9:06 AM

Grateful to Indian side for supporting Belarus in becoming full member of SCO, says envoy Mikhail Kasko

Belarusian Ambassador to India, Mikhail Kasko thanked India for its support to Belarus in becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and emphasized readiness for active collaboration within the SCO dimension. Exuding confidence, the envoy said that Belarus would significantly enhance interaction in political, economic, trade, scientific, cultural and other areas of SCO activities as a full member of the bloc. While speaking to ANI, the Belarusian Ambassador said, "We are g...

Bugging devices found in Polish government meeting room

May 7, 2024 2:49 PM

Bugging devices found in Polish government meeting room

Polish security agents have discovered bugging devices in a room where ministers were due to meet on Tuesday, authorities said, without revealing who might have placed them there. As a hub for Western military supplies to Ukraine during the more than two-year war with Russia, Poland has been on heightened alert for spying. "The State Protection Service, in cooperation with the Internal Security Agency, detected and dismantled devices that could be used for eavesdropping in the room where the m...