Putin gives $1.5bn to Belarus leader

SOCHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Belarus’s beleaguered ruler Alexander Lukashenko a warm welcome and a $1.5 billion loan at the start of talks on Monday, offering his full backing against month-long opposition protests over disputed elections.

“We consider Belarus our closest ally and, as I’ve told you repeatedly in phone talks, we will fulfil all our obligations,” said Putin, who congratulated Lukashenko again on his re-election and wished him success.

A subdued-looking Lukashenko thanked Putin for his support. “These events have shown that we need to stick closer to our elder brother,” he said, at their first face-to-face meeting since the political crisis began.

Belarus’ currency has come under pressure amid the crisis, declining more than 8% in the past three months. At “this difficult moment” for Belarus, Russia will provide the $1.5 billion in credit and “I hope this will have an appropriate impact on the financial markets”, Putin said.

The talks in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi come a day after tens of thousands rallied against Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, for the fifth Sunday in a row, defying riot police and masked men without insignia who tried violently to break up protests. Police detained 774 people, the interior ministry said on Monday.

Putin is determined that protesters won’t topple Lukashenko, who’s ruled for 26 years, even as Moscow doesn’t trust him and will encourage steps towards an eventual succession, people close to the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile, in a phone call with Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the need for a political solution in Belarus but “without external interference”. AGENCIES

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