Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Minsk on Saturday to meet with his Belarusian counterpart and President Alexander Lukashenko, according to Russian and Belarusian state media.
Shoigu discussed military training and regional security during his meeting with Lukashenko, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
During an earlier meeting with Belarus Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, the two signed an agreement on defense cooperation and regional security, according to the Belarus Department of International Military Cooperation.
"The Republic of Belarus was and remains our reliable partner. This is especially important today, in the conditions of unprecedented pressure from the collective West and the undeclared war against our countries," Shoigu said, as quoted by another Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti.
Shoigu also praised "the determination of Belarus to withstand the hostile rate of the United States and their allies," according to RIA Novosti.
Some background: Neighboring Belarus is among Moscow's most stalwart allies, and the two nations have held joint military exercises in the time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus has served as a staging ground for Russian forces near Ukraine's northern border. It was the launching point for the Kremlin's ultimately unsuccessful march toward Kyiv at the start of the invasion.