MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) – I hope for a peaceful resolution of the situation in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to the Russia 24 TV channel, TASS informs.
“We assume that all the existing problems that Belarus is facing today will be solved peacefully," Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian leader believes that the cases of law violation should be dealt with. “If they go beyond the law, the law will respond accordingly. The law applies to all equally," he said.
The Russian leader assessed the actions of Belarusian law enforcement agencies as quite restrained. “If we look at it objectively, I think that the law enforcement agencies of Belarus act in a restrained way, no matter what,” said Vladimir Putin.
“It is not about what is happening in Belarus today. It is about someone wanting something else to happen there. They want to influence these processes and to start some processes to serve their political interests,” said Vladimir Putin.
He also noted that Russia's position on the events in Belarus is much more neutral than that of other countries, including Western countries. “In my opinion, we are much more restrained and neutral in relation to the events in Belarus than many other European countries and the United States," he said.
“But we certainly care about what is going on there. This is a very close, perhaps our closest nation: in terms of ethnicity, language, culture, in a spiritual sense. We are bound by tens, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of direct family ties. We enjoy the tightest cooperation in the manufacturing sector,” said Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president believes that the situation in Belarus is gradually moving back to normal. In his words, all the existing issues will be handled within the constitution, the law and by peaceful means.
Earlier, press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov told the media that the leaders of the two countries communicate directly with each other. He provided such an answer when asked whether the Union State performs the linking functions between the presidents. “At present the presidents are communicating directly. There is no need for any linking functions,” he said.
