Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday met Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for an unannounced meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Belarusian state-owned news agency BelTA reported.
It cited a Telegram channel linked to Lukashenko's office.
Lukashenko said that Belarus needs guarantees that Russia will defend Belarus "like its own territory" in the event of an external attack.