#Russia #Belarus #Sochi #Credit
In view of the power struggle in Belarus, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has promised his ailing colleague Alexander Lukashenko a loan of 1.5 billion US dollars. The neighboring country should get help from Moscow "at this difficult moment,"
Putin said at a meeting with Lukashenko in Sochi. Due to the tense situation, Putin also spoke out in favor of constitutional reform in Belarus. "I think that is logical, timely and appropriate," said the Kremlin chief. Lukashenko had not ruled out possible changes.
However, the opposition emphasized that he only wanted to buy time with these promises. It is the first face-to-face meeting of the two since the controversial presidential election on August 9th.
After 26 years in power, Lukashenko had been declared the election winner for the sixth time in a row - with more than 80 percent of the vote. The EU does not recognize this result. Moscow had congratulated Lukashenko, however.
For five weeks, people across the country have been protesting against the grossly falsified election, and the authorities are making brutal arrests of demonstrators. Last weekend alone, almost 1,000 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities.
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