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Russia has agreed to seek a $ 500 million loan from Belarus and increase the number of flights between the two countries, as the Kremlin has doubled its aid. Alexander Lukashenko after a forced flight of passengers that sparked western disapproval.
Russian President Vladimir Putin took Lukashenko on Saturday to Sochi and offered his guest a trip on a sailboat in the Black Sea, where the two men held more than five hours of interviews and one day.
The two-day summit underscored Moscow’s stance as the closest and most trusted foreign ally in the autocrat mix, and it happened when the US joined the EU. imposing penalties Against Minsk.
Russia’s support for Lukashenko is in line with US and EU condemnations, and could hamper preparations for a meeting between US President Putin and Joe Biden next month as an effort to normalize relations between Moscow and the West.
Belarusian authorities he used a bomb threat and a plane flying between Greece and Lithuania to force a Ryanair flight to divert to Minsk on May 23, when police arrested him Roman Protasevich, the main dissident journalist on board.
The shameless behavior described by Ryanair as “state-sponsored piracy” led to the condemnation of western countries.
EB has banned The Belarusian state airline has pledged to impose additional sanctions on its airports and against the country, and Biden on Friday again imposed “full blocking sanctions” on nine Belarusian state-owned companies.
The Kremlin has criticized the West’s response, announcing that it would release a $ 500 million overdue loan to Minsk by the end of June.
The money represents Moscow’s second tranche of a $ 1 billion financial package to strengthen Lukashenko’s finances in December, sparked by mass protests against last year’s fraudulent election victory and the impact of Covid-19.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian and Belarusian transport ministers would work together to “arrange two-way air transport” to allow Belarusians to travel to Russia on summer holidays and return home from European countries via Russia, offsetting the impact of the EU flight ban. .
“President Lukashenko has reported [Putin] Details of what happened to the Ryanair plane, “Peskov told reporters, adding that the interviews were” very constructive, rich in content. “
The Kremlin has rejected it “Russophobia” the west says he assisted Minsk in the Moscow arrest operation on Protasevich or warned him in advance.
The dissident created a media channel that helped report and coordinate protests against Lukashenko.
Russia has forced at least two European airlines to cancel flights to Moscow this week because it has not approved new flight plans with a bypass around Belarus.
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