Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei (not pictured) in Moscow on Sept 2, 2020. (HANDOUT / RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY / AFP)

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine on Wednesday of fomenting trouble in neighboring Belarus, and said Moscow saw no point in engaging with a Belarusian opposition council that has emerged amid nationwide anti-government protests.

The protest in Belarus erupted after an Aug 9 presidential election marred by allegations of election rigging

Lavrov, speaking in Moscow after talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, said 200 trained Ukrainian extremists were inside Belarus trying to destabilize it.

The protest erupted after an Aug 9 presidential election marred by allegations of election rigging. Russia is a close ally of Belarus.

Kyiv said the allegations were fictitious.

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“Ukraine has not conducted, is not conducting and will not conduct any subversive activities against Belarus,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Facebook.

Kuleba said last week that Kyiv had frozen official contacts with Belarus, and joined the European Union in condemning the election as neither free nor fair. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a new election.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (center) surrounded by soldiers speaks the opening ceremony of the 6th International Military Technical Forum 'Army 2020' and Army Games in the military Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug 23, 2020. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

Lavrov also said that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will visit Belarus for talks on Thursday, as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko faces the biggest political crisis of his 26 years in power.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, who was in Moscow for talks on Wednesday, told reporters that close ally Russia’s stance on the political crisis in Belarus was helping prevent outside meddling in the country.

Makei said he thought the situation was stabilising.