Lukashenko before Putin: The West wants to destabilize Belarus

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, before talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi today, accused the West of wanting to "destabilize" Belarus, which was sanctioned by the European Union (EU) after the diversion of the plane and the arrest of a Belarusian opposition member on that flight.

"An attempt is underway to destabilize the situation so that it will be as it was in August 2020," Lukashenko said at the beginning of the meeting with Putin, referring to last year's large demonstrations after the presidential elections, which the opposition considers rigged.

Today, Putin received Lukashenka to discuss closer economic relations between the two countries at a time when relations between Belarus, the EU and the US are straining after the diversion of the plane to Minsk and the arrest of a Belarusian opposition member.

Moscow has in recent days made more signs of support for its Belarusian ally, which has been sanctioned by Europeans, accusing Minsk of forcing a Ryanair plane to crash-land over an alleged bomb threat to arrest an opposition journalist.

The Russian president today praised the "concrete results" of rapprochement with Belarus when he received Lukashenko.

"The construction of a strengthened union between Russia and Belarus is underway. We are making solid progress in that direction. This work is already yielding concrete results for our citizens," Putin said. The aim of the meeting between the two officials is to discuss "strengthening" the economic integration of the two countries and how to respond to "external pressures", according to a press release from the Belarusian presidency ahead of the meeting.