Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the capital of Belarus Monday for talks with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko amid growing fears that Russia is preparing to launch a new invasion from Ukraine’s neighbor to the north. Lukashenko has allowed the Kremlin to use Belarus as a staging ground throughout Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. On Monday, Putin dismissed concerns that Russia might annex Belarus, a former Soviet republic.

President Vladimir Putin: “Russia is not interested in absorbing anyone. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

In Washington, D.C., State Department spokesperson Ned Price called Putin’s statement the “height of irony,” pointing to Russia’s unilateral annexation of four territories of Ukraine last September.