Putin and Lukashenko discussed security issues in Minsk

Today, on December 19, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, arrived in Minsk for talks with his Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko. During the meeting, the Russian leader said that Belarus is not only Russia’s good neighbour, but also its ally.

“I must emphasize that Belarus is not only our good neighbour with whom we have been working for the past decades taking into account each other’s interests, but Belarus is certainly our ally in the truest sense of the word. Therefore, we have done our best to resolve all other issues, including economic ones, based on this fact,” said Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The two leaders discussed security issues, economic cooperation and the most pressing issues of Belarus-Russia integration.

“Difficult times require political will and determination to achieve results in all issues on the bilateral agenda. The success in this work will determine the place our countries will occupy in the new system of international coordinates tomorrow,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Several days before the meeting, the President of Belarus held a meeting on Belarus-Russia cooperation, where he emphasized that economic issues will be at the forefront of the talks with his Russian counterpart.
As you may recall, in November, speaking at the plenary session of the CSTO session in Yerevan, Aleksandr Lukashenko named the priorities of Belarus’ presidency in the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2023 and noted the need to strengthen the cohesion between the CSTO Member States.