Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, and Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, have noted the “effectiveness” of the talks that took place in Minsk on Monday, 19 December.
Source: statement from BelTA, a state-owned Belarusian news agency
Details: Their statements after the meeting made no mention of military topics or the war in Ukraine. Putin spoke on economic topics.
Quote from Putin: “But in general, if you look at the 30% increase in turnover last year, these are specific things. These are jobs and salaries for people. And this year we could reach US$40 billion; that is a large, serious amount.”
Quote from Lukashenko: “We have just summed up our work with the extended delegations and found that we have deviated a little from government issues. But we repaid our debt and discussed the entire range of issues relating to Belarusian-Russian relations. Social and economic issues…
It’s already evening. However, all the issues have been considered. Things will be easier from now on. Thank you very much. I think people will appreciate the decisions we have made here, for today and as a long-term strategy.”
Background: This is the first time Putin has visited Lukashenko in Belarus since 2019.
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