“We are in favor of the Belarusians themselves, without hints and pressure from outside, discussing this situation in a calm and dialogue way and reaching a common solution,” Putin added.
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At the same time, he praised Lukashenko’s proposal to change the Belarusian constitution as “logical, current and effective”. The Belarusian president has previously expressed his willingness to hold early elections when the reform is adopted, but the opposition demands that Lukashenko resign first.
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Transfer of power instead of revolution
“You acted very moderately and humanely,” Lukashenko thanked the head of the Kremlin for his support, according to the BelT agency. He received this from Moscow at a time when his regime was facing growing isolation in the West due to repression against the opposition and suspicions of falsifying the August presidential election.
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On the eve of the meeting in Sochi, however, Bloomberg agency, referring to five sources close to the Kremlin, wrote that Putin no longer has much confidence in the weakened Lukashenko and is ready to support a possible transfer of power. However, he is said to want the long-running president not to be overthrown by street protests.
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Although all the main faces of the Belarusian opposition are already behind bars or abroad, more than one hundred thousand Belarusians have been protesting virtually every Sunday since the August 9 elections. This weekend was no exception, according to the authorities, more than 770 people were arrested, most of them in the metropolis of Minsk.
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This year’s Lukashenko’s opponent, Sviatlana Cichanouska from Polish exile, accused Putin of having a dialogue with the “usurper”. “Whatever you agree on and accept in Sochi, it will not have legal force. All agreements concluded with the illegitimate Lukashenko will be reconsidered by the new regime, “she said, according to the Interfax agency.
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The integration of the two countries divides
According to the Kremlin, the two statesmen should have talked with four eyes in Sochi about the integration of Russia and Belarus within a common federal state. While Moscow is pushing for the fulfillment of the integration agreement of the 1990s, Lukashenko refuses, saying that times have changed.
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At the same time, the alliance of the two statesmen has repeatedly hardened various other disputes – among others over the prices of Russian oil and gas supplies, access for Belarusian goods to the Russian market and the refinancing of Belarus’ debt to Russia. However, Lukashenko’s negotiating position vis-à-vis Putin is now weakened.
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At the request of the Belarusian president, Russia has previously created reserves of security forces for possible deployment in the country, but Moscow has so far refused to send them.
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However, the force was demonstrated on Monday by a joint military exercise in western Belarus, which was attended by three hundred soldiers, including elite Russian paratroopers. The maneuvers will last until September 25.
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