MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of Russia Vladimir Putin are having a meeting on Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga, Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation, BelTA has learned.
The Russian leader welcomed the Belarusian counterpart near the entrance to the Smolensk priory of the Valaam Monastery. The presidents greeted each other warmly. “At proper time, in a proper place,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
The heads of state went to the temple of the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God where a brief prayer service took place.
After that Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin made brief statements for mass media about the agenda of the forthcoming talks.
The Russian leader noted that such meetings represent an opportunity to discuss current affairs in relations between the two countries. Belarus-Russia trade turnover has exceeded $50 billion. “There are plenty of projects in very important and promising areas. Naturally, a lot of issues always emerge considering this volume. We will have an opportunity to discuss all these matters,” he said.
“We will sacrifice the weekend for the sake of discussion,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.
He also thanked his Russian counterpart for the good tradition of meeting on Valaam Island every year.
The presidents answered questions of reporters. The questions focused primarily on the state of combat operations in Ukraine, prospects of the peaceful resolution, and the approaches of the parties to this matter, the common policy against sanctions, ways to bolster the security of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, and the deployment of Russian missile systems Oreshnik [hazelnut] in Belarus.
The Belarus president is in Russia on a working visit. In a one-on-one format in an informal setting the heads of state will discuss the most important and pressing matters concerning the development of Belarusian-Russian relations and the implementation of the Belarus-Russia Union State projects. The international agenda and regional security matters will also be in the center of attention.
The heads of state have already visited this island together three times. Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin first traveled to Valaam in July 2019. Similar meetings took place in July 2023 and July 2024. The national leaders combined visits to the Valaam Monastery with informal talks to discuss key cooperation matters and the international situation.
The Valaam Monastery is one of Russia’s most revered spiritual sites. It attracts over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists annually.
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