Putin, Lukashenko agree Russia will help maintain security in Belarus if needed
The Belarusian and Russian presidents say the turmoil that has followed the recent presidential elections in the ex-Soviet republic will be remedied soon and not left out for exploitation by the parties that seek to poison the two countries’ relations.
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin made the remarks during a phone call on Saturday, AFP reported.
"Both sides expressed confidence that all the problems that have arisen will be resolved soon," the Kremlin said in a statement, citing the heads of state as saying during the conversation.
Lukashenko also said he has agreed with Putin that Russia will help maintain security in Belarus if needed, Sputnik news agency reported citing the Belta state news agency.
"So I and he agreed that we will receive comprehensive assistance in ensuring Belarus' security whenever we request it," the Belarusian president was quoted as saying.
Earlier this month, Lukashenko won Belarus’ presidential polls by a landslide, securing a sixth term in office.
Large-scale rioting ensued by, what he has called, people with criminal pasts and the unemployed.
Lukashenko's rival in the vote, 37-year-old Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took a trip to neighboring Lithuania after the vote, citing “safety” concerns.
The European Union has threatened to re-impose sanctions against Minsk although Belarus is a non-member.
The United States has wasted no opportunity, in the meantime, to take Minsk to task too, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying during recent apparently interventionist remarks that Belarusians should be given "the freedoms that they are demanding."
Chairing a meeting in the capital on Wednesday, however, Lukashenko urged against continued violence, calling preservation of nationwide security in the country’s top priority.
The Belarusian and Russian leaders also noted during the Saturday talk that "these problems should not be exploited by destructive forces seeking to harm the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the union state," Reuters reported, citing the same Kremlin statement.
Lukashenko also the protests were a “color revolution” and claimed “elements of foreign interference” were directing the protesters.
He also expressed concern about the NATO military drills taking place in neighboring Poland and Lithuania, describing them as a military build-up.
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