The Russian Ministry of Defense justifies the solution by the escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Belarus’s defense ministry said on Sunday that Russia and Belarus would extend their joint military exercises.
The rehearsals were due to end today, Sunday.
The ministry justified the extension with increased military activity near the Russian-Belarusian border and “escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine.”
The military alliance NATO has estimated that Russia currently has about 30,000 troops on Belarusian soil.
The announcement by Belarus of the resumption of exercises came at the same time as the French president Emmanuel Macron and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin discussed by telephone the situation in Ukraine.
France has described the presidential talks as “the last possible attempt to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine”.
The decision to resume military exercises shattered Western hopes that Russia would quickly withdraw its troops that it could use to attack Ukraine.
In addition, the decision is seen as a knockout between Macron and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholzin attempts to persuade Russia to retreat from proximity to Ukraine’s borders.
The Ministry of Defense of Belarus did not set a new end date for the military exercises. Russia has so far not commented on the resumption of the exercises.