Putin and Lukashenko arrive on Valaam Island

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko arrived on the island of Valaam on Lake Ladoga in Karelia. This was announced on August 1 by the Kremlin's press service.

"Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko have arrived in Valaam," reads a message posted on the Telegram channel.

It is specified that the leaders of the two countries visited the territory of the Smolensk Skete of the Transfiguration of the Valaam Stavropol Monastery. In addition, Putin and Lukashenko also took part in a prayer service at the church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.

Earlier, on July 26, Putin and Lukashenko held an informal meeting on Valaam Island. It is specified that they visited the chapel of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God on Svetly Island.

Prior to that, on May 23, Putin flew to Minsk on an official visit and immediately met with Lukashenko. During these talks, the Russian President stressed that Russia and Belarus have achieved great success in developing mutually beneficial relations. The next day, they held talks in an expanded format, where they noted that Moscow and Minsk feel confident in the face of threats from the West and strengthen cooperation on defense and security issues. Putin pointed out that the borders of the Union State are securely covered from all sides.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.