Hommam Al Nassim 
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
The Russian president stressed that work within the Union State is generally proceeding at a good level, and the results of economic development speak for themselves.
The Russian president thanked Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his invitation to Minsk.
“Alexander Grigorievich, thank you very much for the invitation. I say that on behalf of the whole team.”
After the meeting, Putin stressed that Russia proceeds from the fact that the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has expired.
The Russian president noted that one of the goals of the conference in Switzerland is to emphasize the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky by the sponsors of the Kiev regime.
Putin stressed that Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine, but it is possible to return to them based on the agreements previously reached in Turkey and Belarus, taking into account the situation on the ground.
Putin noted that Russia has never rejected negotiations with Ukraine, and said, “As for the negotiation process (with Ukraine), I have talked about this many times, and from here in Minsk I would like to emphasize once again that Russia has never rejected these negotiations.”
“We believe that peace talks with Ukraine should be resumed, but on the basis of common sense.”
Putin explained that when negotiations with Ukraine resume, Russia must understand the legitimacy of the government, which it can and must deal with when signing legal documents and said: “With whom we conduct these negotiations this is not a cynical question.”
The Russian president also stressed that Russian defense systems and tactical nuclear weapons reliably cover the borders of Russia and Belarus.
“A joint regional group of troops has been deployed on Belarusian territory, modern Russian defense systems and tactical nuclear weapons, all of this reliably covers the western borders of our countries and the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” he said.
Putin stressed that Russia has regularly conducted and continues to conduct exercises of strategic and non-strategic deterrence forces, and said, “Russia has conducted and regularly conducts exercises of strategic nuclear forces and non-strategic nuclear deterrent forces, the only difference is that after deploying part of the non-strategic nuclear potential on the territory of Belarus, we are conducting it with our Belarusian allies.”
Putin stressed that the Belarusian nuclear power plant is fully operational, and that Russia will help Belarus develop its own nuclear industry.
The Russian president explained that his country and Belarus will continue to coordinate actions in the international arena, and the two countries will take common positions on most global and regional issues, stressing that Russia and Belarus will continue economic integration, and that agreement on an action plan to deepen economic interaction and reduce the damage caused by Western sanctions has reached its final stage.
Putin said Belarus will become the tenth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization during the Astana summit in July, noting that no country can influence mutual trade and investment between Russia and Belarus.
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