Lukashenka to meet Putin on 7 February
Aliaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin / TASS
Aliaksandr Lukashenka is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on 7 February, President Lukashenka said as he was inspecting Dobrush Paper Factory on 4 February, BelTA news agency reports.
“It is highly likely that I will meet with President Putin on 7 February. I believe, and I will tell him openly about it, that some moment of truth has come. We have built these good relations [between Belarus and Russia]. We were the architects of these relations. Are we the ones to break them at the end of our political careers? We cannot be here forever. The question is what legacy we will leave,” Lukashenka said.
The Belarus and Russian presidents met twice in December 2019 to discuss deeper integration but no documents were signed. The talks were held amid peaceful protests in Minsk against integration with Russia.
On 1 January, Russia cut off oil supplies to Belarus after the two countries failed to agree on the new terms for 2020.
The agreement on natural gas supplies was extended for two months of the new year only.
It is assumed that these issues will be key on the agenda when Lukashenka and Putin will meet on 7 February.
