Wargames show Russian power in wilful Belarus

Significance

The Zapad-2017 exercises, held in Belarus and north-western Russia, ended without incident on September 20. They underlined Moscow's capacity to wage conventional war in Europe and its ability to deploy large number of troops in Belarus at short notice. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attended different parts of the exercises in their own countries, symbolising (even if inadvertently) the gulf between them.

Impacts

• The scale and relevance of the Zapad exercises will encourage the United States to strengthen its presence on NATO's eastern fringes.
• The Eastern Partnership offers the EU and Belarus a framework for building closer ties.
• Ukraine will seek opportunities for greater defence cooperation with NATO, although accession is not an option.