Putin to make rare visit to Belarus for talks with war ally
Vladimir Putin is to travel to Belarus on Monday in his first visit in more than three years to his ally in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
President Alexander Lukashenko will host Putin in Minsk for talks on security and “joint measures to respond to emerging challenges,” as well as economic cooperation including on import substitution, according to a statement on the Belarusian leader’s website Friday. The Kremlin said the two leaders will focus on their “strategic partnership and alliance with an emphasis on integration cooperation.” This will be Putin’s first visit to Belarus since June 2019. Lukashenko is a regular visitor to Russia and has met with Putin in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and the far eastern Amur region since the Russian president ordered the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
