Putin discussed Victory Day and the economy with Lukashenko. The main thing

On the eve of Victory Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow. The leaders discussed the record trade turnover between the two countries, economic cooperation, as well as a common commitment to preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

Victory Day as a common heritage

Opening the meeting, Putin stressed that Belarus was one of the most affected republics during the Great Patriotic War, and it was symbolic that the Belarusian head of state was in Moscow on the eve of the holiday. Lukashenko, in turn, said that he could not "throw under his feet" the victory that his ancestors had won.

"Belarusians lost every third person in this war. What kind of president in Belarus can afford to throw this great victory under his feet like a rag? There is nothing," Lukashenko said.

He noted that some former Soviet republics refuse to recognize this holiday, calling such behavior "ugly" and "disgusting." Lukashenko expressed confidence that the time will come when Russia will be "asked" to take part in the celebrations on Red Square.

The position on invitations to the parade

Putin said that Russia had not officially invited anyone to the Victory Day Parade, but simply said that it would be glad to see anyone who wanted to come. "This is especially relevant in today's situation, bearing in mind security issues," the president added.

In response, Lukashenko stressed that no security issues could interfere with his visit to Moscow.

Economy and record trade turnover

Putin said that the volume of trade between Russia and Belarus is a record, despite external difficulties.

"There are good trends in the Russian economy, they are reflected in the partners in the Eurasian Union and especially in relations with Belarus, since we have deeper relations than within the framework of the EAEU," the Russian president noted.

Lukashenko clarified that the trade turnover between the two countries is approaching $ 60 billion, and Russia is Belarus' main trading partner in the post-Soviet space (65% of the total trade turnover in the CIS). At the same time, he acknowledged that with such volumes, work issues are inevitable, but there are no serious disputes between the countries.

Main results of the meeting

The parties agreed to continue working together on economic cooperation and coordination within the framework of the Union State. The leaders also instructed the governments to promptly resolve the remaining "one and a half issues" on the bilateral agenda. The main outcome of the meeting was the confirmation of the unity of approaches of Russia and Belarus to preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War and the inadmissibility of reviewing its results.