“We will continue to provide all possible assistance to the fraternal Belarusian people, even in the current, not at all mild, domestic political situation,” Putin said in a video conference at the regional forum, which was also attended by Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Recent EU sanctions against the Lukashenko regime are undermining the Belarusian economy and harming the Belarusian people, the Kremlin host added.
The EU imposed economic sanctions on Belarus on Thursday in response to human rights abuses by the Lukashenko regime, violent repression against the opposition and the forced landing of a Ryanair plane.