(Reuters) -Joint exercises to be held by the Russian and Belarusian armies next month will include drills on the planned use of nuclear weapons and the Russian-made, intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, Belarus’ defence minister said on Wednesday.

The comments by Viktor Khrenin come just two days before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska to discuss a possible deal to end the full-scale war in Ukraine, which Moscow launched in part from Belarusian territory in February 2022.

Khrenin told journalists in Minsk that the Belarusians would work with their Russian counterparts on how to use the Oreshnik, as well as nuclear weapons, during the military exercises, to be held in Belarus from September 12-16.

“This is an important

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