Belarus

Belarus is being pulled between deepening military integration with Russia and a parallel effort to keep bargaining channels open with the West. Minsk has expanded joint military cooperation with Moscow, while also seeking to avoid full isolation. Analysts see the balancing act as an attempt by Alexander Lukashenko's government to preserve room for manoeuvre between its key ally and Western governments.

Travellers driving through eastern Latvia, after leaving Rāzna National Park and heading toward Velnezers, entered a designated Border Zone near Dagda where police stopped them and questioned them about their route and destination. The area lies close to the Belarusian border, where Latvia maintains stricter controls and heightened security measures.

RFE/RL's Wider Europe Briefing asks whether the European Union will soon lift sanctions on Belarusian potash, one of the country's key exports that was targeted amid Minsk's crackdown on opposition and its role in the war in Ukraine. The question feeds a broader debate in Brussels over whether sanctions on Belarus should be eased or kept in place.