the Forbidden Zone

Russia and Belarus formed a nominal "union" in 1996 and have close economic and military cooperation, but they continue have disputes over energy prices and import duties.

The 65-year-old Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he has sought to preserve Belarus' sovereignty and independence at a time Russia is pressing for even closer ties between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the United States has sought to reduce Russia's influence over its neighbors.

Hale said the United States was not asking Belarus "to choose between East and West" and respected the country's desire to "chart its own course."

Russia's Zapad-2017 war games explained What is Zapad? Zapad, which means "west" in Russian, is a joint military drill conducted by the Russian and Belarussian armies along Russia's northwesternborder with Europe, which is also NATO territory. The 2017 exercise, which takes place from September 14 to 20, is one of Russia's four annually rotating regional training operations that tests military strategy and troop preparedness by simulating war.

Russia's Zapad-2017 war games explained What has Zapad looked like in the past? The Zapad games originated in the Soviet Union and the last exercises took place in 2009 and 2013. In the aftermath of those drills, NATO accused Russia of secretly using them to prepare tactics for its subsequent military invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Crimea and east Ukraine in 2014. NATO also accused Russia of ending both years' drills with hypothetical nuclear strikes on European nations.

Russia's Zapad-2017 war games explained What will Zapad look like this year?