The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Minsk on Monday for talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, who allowed Moscow to use Belarus as a staging ground for its offensive in Ukraine. Footage broadcast by Russian state television showed Putin disembarking a plane at a freezing and snow-blanketed airport in Minsk and being warmly greeted by his close ally Lukashenko ahead of bilateral talks.