Łukašenka to visit Russia

December 23, BPN. On December 24, five days after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Alaksandr Łukašenka is leaving for Russia, his press office said.

“At the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Alaksandr Łukašenka will visit the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow. At present, Belarusian candidates for a space flight are being tested there,” it said.

Łukašenka will familiarize himself with the center and its system of selecting and training astronauts, it added. They will also discuss “the prospects of further Belarusian-Russian cooperation in space activities.”

The Belarusian leader will participate in an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg on December 26 and 27. Its participants will “sum up the results of 2022 and discuss plans for further cooperation in the most relevant spheres for the Commonwealth.”