Vladimir Putin backs Belarus’ Lukashenko | DW News

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday for talks on closer economic ties. At the meeting in the Black Sea resort Sochi, Lukashenko said that Belarusian economy was “moving along normally.“ “Well, there are always those who want to cause us trouble,“ Lukashenko added, apparently referring to Western governments. Hailing his “trusting relationship“ with Putin, Lukashenko said he brought documents to show to the Russian president “so you understand what kind of people they are.“ He also said there was “an attempt to devolve the situation to the level of August last year,“ referring to mass protests against his rule. The protests were sparked by an election his political opponents and Western nations decried as stolen. “It is just clear what our Western friends want from us,“ Lukashenko told Putin. The meeting between the two leaders comes as the European Commission said Belarus could