Lukashenko Unable To Walk, Skips State Lunch With Putin In Moscow

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had to be driven a short distance to an event during Tuesday’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and skipped a lunch hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko, a close Putin ally, looked tired and a little unsteady on his feet, and a bandage was visible on his right hand. His appearance sparked speculation online about his health, though he otherwise showed no obvious sign of being unwell. Video footage showed the 68-year-old chatting with Putin and army top brass after the annual parade on Red Square and then taking a lift to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier nearby while Putin walked there with the leaders of Armenia and five Central Asian countries. He rejoined the others to lay flowers at the Tomb beside the Kremlin, only about 300 metres from the spot where they had earlier watched the parade marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. In a rare departure from custom, the Belarusian president then