Belarus leader and Putin ally Lukashenko to visit China

BEIJING (AP) — Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and a close ally of the Russian leader, will visit Beijing this week, China's Foreign Ministry said, as U.S. concerns grow that China is considering providing military aid to Russia.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying said Lukashenko is due to visit Tuesday through Thursday, but gave no details about his agenda.

Belarus has strongly backed Moscow and allowed its territory to be used as a staging ground for the initial invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

Lukashenko has been Belarus' only president since the position was created in 1994, and crushed 2020 protests over his disputed reelection in a vote that the opposition and Western countries regard as fraudulent.