Putin and Lukashenko hold meeting in Valdai: no official statement issued afterwards
Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko travelled to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's residence in Valdai, Russia, on 26 June.
Source: the Kremlin; Pul Pervogo, a Belarusian pro-government Telegram channel; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov; Russian media outlets Meduza and Agentstvo
Details: The visit came a day after Lukashenko said he had met representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Belarus.
According to Russian media reports, the unusual nature of the visit was underscored by the fact that the meeting took place at Putin's residence in Valdai, where he rarely hosts foreign leaders.
The Kremlin said the two leaders held one-on-one talks covering "trade and economic cooperation, the implementation of joint economic projects, and issues related to regional security".
A similar statement was published by the Belarusian Telegram channel Pul Pervogo, which is closely associated with Lukashenko's press service.
Peskov said no statements to the media were planned following the meeting.
Background:
- On 19 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an ultimatum to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, demanding that Belarus remove within a week the relay transmitters used to help guide Russian drones targeting Ukrainian cities, or Ukraine would do so itself.
- On 24 June, Ukraine's Border Guard Service reported a decline in the number of Russian attack drones entering Ukrainian airspace via Chernihiv Oblast, and said there had been no mass flights of Shahed drones along the Belarus-Ukraine border in recent days.
- Zelenskyy later said the relay transmitters that had been assisting Russian drones had ceased operating in Belarus on 22 June.
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