The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday, December 29, ended in St. Petersburg. The meeting lasted about three hours.
The leaders talked at the Constantine Palace in Strelna, discussing topical issues of cooperation between the two states. In particular, Putin said that Russian-Belarusian military exercises will take place in February-March 2022. For his part, the President of Belarus asked Putin to continue cooperation in the military industry and the military-industrial sphere.
In addition, the Russian leader noted that a significant step forward had been made in the development of the Union State in the current year. According to him, Russia and Belarus have also agreed on issues related to finance, tax, customs and fiscal legislation.
Earlier, on December 23, the Russian President spoke about the progress in rapprochement between Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State. According to him, Lukashenka and his team are not easy negotiators, but the parties “reached an understanding of the pace and steps” to move towards further integration. The countries first need to synchronize their legislation in the economic sphere, the president said.
On November 4, a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State was held. Putin and Lukashenko discussed issues of further bilateral cooperation, and also signed an integration decree approving 28 union programs. This document, according to the Russian leader, was a serious step forward. Lukashenko, in turn, called the Union State a priority of the priorities for Belarus.
