Putin and Lukashenko to meet in Moscow: Kremlin
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss Mr Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MOSCOW - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will travel to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the Kremlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that the two leaders would discuss Mr Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine at an upcoming face-to-face meeting.
Mr Putin and Mr Lukashenko will hold talks on “topical bilateral and international issues” on Wednesday, before a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State on Thursday, the Kremlin said in an announcement published on Tuesday.
Russia and Belarus are formally part of the Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet countries, though longstanding plans for closer integration of their economies have repeatedly stalled.
Moscow is Belarus’ key political and financial backer, while Mr Lukashenko allowed Mr Putin to use Belarus’ territory as a launchpad for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
In March, Mr Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia was boosting Belarus’ nuclear capabilities in response to Finland joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military alliance. REUTERS
