Saint Petersburg, 27 June 2022 (TDI): The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko at the Constantine Palace.
🇷🇺🇧🇾 President Putin held a meeting with President of Belarus Lukashenko.
💬 President Putin: Last year Russia exported over 40 mln tonnes of grain to the world markets. Until next summer – we will be ready to export perhaps over 50 mln tonnes.
🔗 https://t.co/rKVRlpKfyz pic.twitter.com/1rOVqoog0J
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) June 26, 2022
Lukashenko expressed concern regarding the “aggressive”, “confrontational” and “repulsive” policies of its neighbors Lithuania and Poland.
He, therefore, requested Putin to assist Belarus to mount a “symmetrical response” to what he said were nuclear-armed flights by the US-led NATO alliance near Belarus’ borders.
Rising tensions between Russia and the West are a result of Russia sending troops into Ukraine four months ago after alleging that NATO planned to admit Ukraine and utilize it as a platform to threaten Russia.
Russia’s invasion consequently prompted Sweden and Russia’s northern neighbor Finland to apply to join the Western alliance.
During the meeting with Lukashenko, Putin stated that in a few months, Russia will supply Belarus with Iskander-M missile systems.
Putin and Lukashenko in addition discussed the global fertilizer supply situation. Russia’s President highlighted that both Belarus and Russia are major suppliers of fertilizer to the global market.
In line with this, the Russian President recommended that they join efforts to assist their traditional partners.
The meeting took place on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In like manner, Putin said that it is not an ordinary day, and as a result, they agreed to meet.
Due to the large scale of their interaction, he pointed out that they need constant coordination and likewise, the reason for the meeting.
Putin also pointed out that Russia has invested US$4 billion in the Belarusian economy during the previous years. On the other side, Belarusian businesses made investments as well.
Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart regarding the course as well as the outcome of the discussions with his BRICS colleagues.
Specifically that a lot of the speakers expressed concerns about the disruptions in food deliveries and price hikes on food and fertilizer in the global markets.
The Russian President further mentioned that last year Russia exported over 40 million tonnes of grain to the world markets.
He ensured that in the current agricultural year until next summer they will be ready to export may be over 50 million tonnes.
By expressing his understanding of Belarus’s increasing production, he commended the Belarusian President.
“I know that Belarus is also increasing production – under your leadership, Belarusian agriculture has been developing very confidently and successfully,” the Russian President said.
Previous Meetings
Recently in May, Putin met with Lukashenko at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi in relation to their 25 years of union through the charter of the union of Russia and Belarus.
Additionally, Lukashenko addressed Putin along with the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan during a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Moscow.
Belarus likewise urged the Russia-led military alliance to unite against the West. As an important ally of Moscow, Lukashenko accused the West of prolonging the conflict in Ukraine so as to weaken Moscow.
Lukashenko said that sanctions against Belarus and Russia could have been avoided if the group had spoken with one voice.
“Without a united front, the collective West will build up pressure on the post-Soviet space,” Lukashenko said during the meeting of the military alliance.
Previously, Lukashenko maintained that Belarus must be involved in negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He further stated that his country had been unfairly labeled ‘an accomplice of the aggressor’.
