Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet today with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Western sanctions, Reuters reported, citing news agencies in Russia and Belarus.
The Belarusian news agency BelTA reported that Lukashenko arrived early this morning in the Amur region in eastern Russia to meet with Putin at the Vostochny spaceport.
April 12 is celebrated in Russia and some countries of the former Soviet Union as Astronautics Day in honor of the first manned space flight in 1961 by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, according to Reuters, citing BTA.
Lukashenko believes that Belarus should take part in talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, and claims that his country has been unfairly branded as an “accomplice of the aggressor.”
The EU, the United States and other countries have included Belarus in broad sanctions against Russia.