Minsk ready to build relations with Moscow if it respects independence – Łukašenka

December 16, BPN. Minsk is ready to build relations with Moscow if it regards Belarus as a “sovereign and independent state,” Alaksandr Łukašenka has told officials in the Belarusian capital, as quoted by his press office.

Years after the “attempted mutiny” (2020 protests) we can “confirm the correctness of the chosen course towards rapprochement with Russia and the timeliness of the relevant measures, such as adopting the package of integration documents in the framework of the Union State,” he said.

These programs, in his opinion, “do not affect the independence and sovereignty of either Belarus or Russia.”

Nevertheless, Łukašenka said that after his upcoming talks with Vladimir Putin, “everyone will say that that’s all: there’s no power in Belarus anymore, the Russians feel at home and run the country.”

The Russian president is planning to visit Minsk on December 19, Łukašenka’s press office reported.