MINSK - Belarus suggests that its national army and the Russian armed forces should be united into a single army of the Russia-Belarus Union. If this happens, Russia will provide the bulk of the financing, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper says. The single defense budget of the Russia-Belarus Union will be discussed at a meeting of the two countries’ defense ministry boards on Tuesday.

On Monday, Russian and Belarusian ministers exchanged experience in reforming their armed forces. It is no secret, the newspaper reports, that the structure of the Belarusian army is almost the same as in the Russian army, but in a limited form, as Belarus does not have a navy. The Russian Defense Ministry’s experts are calculating the price Russia will have to pay for the creation of the allied armed forces.

Meanwhile, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta notes, the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries have a single regional ground force. In his time, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that it numbered at least 300,000 troops. This figure was repeatedly discussed and even called into question, but the fact remains that the military of the two countries cooperate successfully defending their western borders. Military cooperation includes not only regular joint training exercises, the creation of a single ground force and putting into operation a Russian radar station near Baranovichi, Belarus. Other integrated and quite effective, in the opinion of Russian and Belarusian generals, defense units also are being created. Belarusian Defense Minister Colonel General Leonid Maltsev has said recently that Minsk was ready to unite its air defense force with the Russian force.

The creation of a single air defense force means that part of the two countries’ forces are becoming coalition forces, having single plans, a single budget and single leadership. Citing sources in the Russian Defense Military, the newspaper says that feet dragging in settling this issue is due to a lack of financing. It is clear that Russia will bear the main burden of financing. Even now, Russia at its own expense supplies and repairs radio-technical and air defense equipment for the Belarusian army. It also allows Belarus to use Russian firing and testing grounds, on a gratis basis. Perhaps, it is for this reason that the document on the creation of the single air defense force will be discussed by the Presidential Administration.

Ahead of his visit to Moscow, Col. Gen. Maltsev said he was empowered to sign this agreement. “I am ready to do it today,” he added. However, Russian military experts do not expect that the document will be signed soon.