Moscow, January 28 – Renat Abdullin. The Presidents of Russia and Belarus held their first face-to-face meeting of the new year. Alexander Lukashenko arrived in St. Petersburg to participate in the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, which will take place on Monday, January 29. But even before that, the leaders had a busy agenda. Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko met relatively recently – in December, again in St. Petersburg, at events related to the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union. However, the current visit of the Belarusian leader is specifically related to the issues of the Union State, the creation of which will mark its 25th anniversary this year. Lukashenko arrived in the Northern capital in advance, on January 27, to participate in the opening of a memorial for peaceful residents of the USSR – victims of Nazi genocide during the Great Patriotic War. The date was chosen not by chance. It was on this day, Vladimir Putin reminded at the ceremony, “in 1944, the Red Army completely broke the siege of Leningrad, and a year later, in 1945, liberated Auschwitz.” The events of 80 years ago resonate today, emphasized the Russian leader: “In our time, the results of the Nuremberg trials, which unequivocally condemned Nazism, are being revised. In some countries, not only is history being rewritten and executioners being justified: revanchists and neo-Nazis have adopted the ideology and methods of the Nazis. In the Baltic states, tens of thousands of people are declared ‘subhumans’ and deprived of the most basic rights, subjected to persecution.” “The regime in Kiev glorifies Hitler’s accomplices, members of the SS, and uses terror against all dissenters,” Putin reminded, promising to do everything “to suppress and completely eradicate Nazism.” Lukashenko also did not ignore these trends: “We cannot change the past, but it is within our power to protect the future.” The next day, February 28, the presidents started with a meeting in Strelna. There, via video conference, they participated in the ceremony of putting into operation the new wintering complex of the Vostok station in Antarctica. “This is a significant and momentous event for our polar scientists. I think it is important not only for our country, but also for our partners and friends,” Putin emphasized. “This is our shared history, the history of the achievements of our ancestors, which both Russia and Belarus rightfully take pride in,” he reminded, also talking about the results of the polar researchers’ studies. Lukashenko, in turn, thanked them for their work, noting the Belarusian scientific and technical participation as well. “We are brothers, we have nothing to divide. The contribution to science should come from both Russia and Belarus,” the president said confidently. After the end of the ceremony at the Vostok station, Putin and Lukashenko withdrew for a one-on-one conversation that lasted almost an hour. The next stop on the schedule of the heads of state was the multifunctional sports and concert complex “SKA Arena.” There, Putin and Lukashenko, known for their love of hockey, talked to SKA players, received two jerseys with the team’s symbols, and briefly watched the athletes’ training. From the “SKA Arena,” Putin and Lukashenko went to the Konstantinovsky Palace for substantive preparation for the January 29 meeting. “Overall, the situation is developing very energetically for us,” the Russian leader said. “In the first ten months of last year, our trade turnover, according to our data, was $42.5 billion, and if we speak in dollar equivalent, it is constantly growing. Russia is the largest investor: our investors have invested four billion dollars in the Belarusian economy. And this work is being carried out in a bilateral mode: our enterprises, our businesses are operating in Belarus, and our Belarusian friends are increasingly active in the Russian market.” Relations are developing in all areas: agriculture, science, education, and culture – “everything is growing at a fast pace.” “Today, we discussed an unusual question – cooperation in Antarctica. It seems like where are we, and where is Antarctica? No, it turns out there are joint interests there as well,” Putin emphasized. He reminded of the ongoing interaction within the CIS, the CSTO, and the EAEU: “Here, too, there is a large complex of joint work. We will talk about everything tonight, without haste.” Of course, the president promised to inform his partner in detail “about what is happening in the special military operation zone.” Lukashenko, assessing the previous day of the visit (in particular, the opening of the monument to the victims of the genocide), noted: “It would have been nice if someone from Ukraine had been standing nearby, after all, three Slavic peoples suffered. But this is their choice, what to do. They have a different course. But I think they will come back to us, they have nowhere else to go.” Speaking about the ways “where to go,” Lukashenko gave the example of Belarus. “No other country would treat Belarus as you do. Again, I project: what prevented Ukraine and the Baltic countries from working with us in the same way? This is our world, we built it for several decades, we won this terrible war together – let’s move in this direction. No, they don’t want to, they are looking for a better life beyond the seas,” Lukashenko criticized. According to him, during the January 29 meeting, Moscow and Minsk will formalize a number of joint steps. “Let’s try to look further, how we will develop. … In those times, when we were not so oppressed, we discussed some issues that needed to be resolved at the government level. Today, they are being resolved by governments. Well, ‘polish’ the agenda – it’s our sacred duty,” the Belarusian president reminded. Lukashenko also shared details of his daily conversation with Putin: “We delved deeply into the economy and the issues of the military-industrial complex (MIC). We have nothing to hide. We discussed many problems, thought about how to further develop and what systems we will develop, taking into account this bitter experience of the special military operation.” It is expected that the presidents will share details of their agreements after the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State. There, in particular, the results of the implementation of the basic document – “Basic Directions for the Implementation of the Provisions of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State for 2021-2023” – will be summed up and a similar document for the next three years will be approved.
