Putin and Lukashenko discuss deeper ties and nuclear cooperation in Minsk

Vladimir Putin visited Belarus, where he met with Alexander Lukashenko. The leaders of both countries held negotiations. They discussed, among other topics, Belarus's nuclear potential, increasing the transit of Belarusian goods through Russia, and eliminating mutual roaming charges. They also talked about the weather in Minsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the negotiations with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko very productive.

Putin said during a press conference after the Russian-Belarusian negotiations about agreeing with Alexander Grigorievich, today's negotiations were very productive. With the involvement of vice prime ministers and line ministers, we discussed almost all key issues of Russian-Belarusian cooperation in the economy, cultural and humanitarian spheres, and in the field of security and defence – Putin said during a press conference after the Russian-Belarusian negotiations.

Putin announced that Russia and Belarus would continue economic integration.

He said that following the decision of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, adopted on January 29 in St. Petersburg, new promising areas of integration have been identified. A plan of specific actions to further deepen economic interactions to minimize the damage caused by illegal Western restrictions, technological development, and import substitution is in the final phase.

The Russian president also announced assistance to Belarus in developing its nuclear industry. The station (the Belarusian nuclear power plant) is now operating at total capacity. Its two units have generated over 30 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and the head of state announced that they are indeed determined to continue helping our Belarusian friends develop their nuclear industry and strengthen cooperation in related high-tech areas such as digitization, nuclear medicine, and the creation of energy storage systems.

All of this (strengthening interactions between the Russian Federation and Belarus in defense and security) is significant. Russia and Belarus consider the Western community's direction towards the countries as hostile and attempting to limit their development and harm their sovereignty. Putin said that so far, it has been unsuccessful and, he is sure, will not succeed. They feel confident and reliable and will strengthen their cooperation in these critical areas.

While the leaders of both countries sat down for talks, cameras caught an awkward conversation between the politicians. Lukashenko welcomed Putin to Belarus again, saying he was pleased that he liked Minsk and the people and has already noticed more details thanks to his experience. Putin replied awkwardly and complimented Belarus's capital on its well-built and beautiful architecture, congratulating the city authorities. He continued to say that the weather was nice, just like a holiday.