More than five hour long talks between Lukashenko, Putin over
The talks between the presidents of Belarus and Russia, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, have ended in the Kremlin. As reported by BelTA, the leaders communicated in various formats for 5 hours and 22 minutes.
The meeting started a little after midday, and the presidents spoke face-to-face in the Ceremonial Office for exactly an hour and a half, and then Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin had a working lunch. The Pul Pervogo Telegram channel posted the menu: protein omelette with trout and asparagus, beef pastrami roll, green buckwheat with avocado and egg, millet porridge with pumpkin and blueberries, quinoa with baked milk and peaches, and cottage cheese casserole with raisins and strawberries.
After the lunch, the heads of state continued their conversation and, by that time, they had already communicated for a total of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Obviously, not all issues on the agenda had been discussed, so they went to the office of the President of Russia.
The meeting lasted 5 hours and 22 minutes in total.
At the beginning of the meeting, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin made short statements for the media. The Belarusian leader invited his colleague to discuss a number of regional issues, as well as some issues on the bilateral agenda.
Aleksandr Lukashenko reiterated his intention to discuss the possibility of building another nuclear power plant in Belarus, including with a view on the supply of electricity to Russia’s new regions. Financing issues were also outlined, but the President did not publicly announce the details. "If a decision is made, we will immediately start building a new power unit or a new station – if there is a need in the west of Russia and in the liberated regions," he noted.
In turn, Vladimir Putin stressed that financing is actually not a problem, “This is not a problem at all, if there is a consumer who will use electricity and pay the set tariff.”
The presidents agreed that nuclear energy as a whole contributes to high-quality economic growth and the emergence of new directions – such as, for example, a wider use of electric transport, electric heating of the residential sector, opportunities for the development of artificial intelligence, mining, and construction of data centres.
In his opening speech, Vladimir Putin stressed that Belarus is a serious partner of Russia in the field of nuclear energy. "The first nuclear power plant was built in Belarus and, moreover, an industry has emerged in Belarus, whose specialists are now working with Rosatom even on the construction of nuclear facilities in third countries. Of course, this cannot but be encouraging," he said, adding that the countries’ economic co-operation is good: the Belarus-Russia trade turnover exceeds $50bn, and it continues to grow. Active work is underway in all areas, including in matters of ensuring the Union State's security.
