Russian President Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko meet today in Sochi. The conversation is about strengthening cooperation between the two countries. There is talk about more economic cooperation, but also about exchanging knowledge from rocket sciences, reports Interfax news agency.
Lukashenko was declared the winner of a 2020 presidential election widely believed to be fraudulent. He cracked down on protests against his rule. With help from Russia, Lukashenko managed to stay in the saddle, which has made him heavily dependent on Putin.
Belarus is also involved in the war in Ukraine. Attacks have been carried out from the country and Russian troops have entered Ukraine through Belarus. Both Russia and Belarus are under Western sanctions internationally.
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