MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

Dmitry Medvedev and Alexander Lukashenko will attend the final stage of the large-scale joint military exercises, Zapad (West) 2009, which started on September 18 and ends on Tuesday. On Monday the Russian president said the exercise was of a defensive nature and the two countries were "not threatening anyone."

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier said that the removal of trade barriers was the only problem in the relations between the two states.

Relations between Belarus and Russia, which have been trying for several years to establish a Union State, have been strained recently over a series economic and political disputes, including Russian energy supplies, a milk export row and Lukashenko"s reluctance to sign a deal to set up a post-Soviet rapid reaction force.

The Russian president said the talks would not go on smoothly, but the solutions would definitely be found.

Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko earlier said the two leaders are expected

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