Putin to meet Lukashenko in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko agreed on Sunday to meet here "in the coming weeks," reported Xinhua, quoting a Kremlin press release.

During a phone conversation, Putin and Lukashenko reaffirmed their common position to further strengthen the Russian-Belarusian alliance and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, it said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the specific date for the Putin-Lukashenko meeting has not been set yet.

Earlier this week, Putin said that Russia regards Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus, and Russia is ready to intervene if the situation in Belarus gets out of control, although only as a last resort.

Belarus has been witnessing mass protests after incumbent president Lukashenko won a sixth term in the Aug. 9 elections, with the opposition refusing to recognize the results.

The European Union does not recognize the results either and has threatened to impose sanctions.