Putin and Lukashenko to meet after Belarus plane diversion

Russian President Vladimir Putin took Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko for a boat trip on Saturday (29 May) as the close allies met for a second day and held “informal talks” amid the outcry after Minsk diverted a European plane.

The falsified presidential elections of August 2020, and the brutal crackdown against peacefully protesting Belarusians, led to the isolation of the Aliaksandr Lukashenka regime. Despite the possibility of starting dialogue with the democratic opposition and Belarusian society, Aliaksandr Lukashenka chose another path, involving continued brutal repression of the country’s citizens. The worsening human rights situation and hijacking of Ryanair flight FR 4978 provoked a response from the EU, including a ban on Belarusian air carriers landing in or overflying the EU, a major extension of the list of people and entities already subject to sanctions, and the introduction of sanctions on key sectors of the Belarusian economy. The EU policy also demonstrates a readiness to support a future democratic Belarus. In this respect, the European Commission presented the outline of a comprehensive plan of economic support for democratic Belarus, worth up to €3 billion. The European Parliament is playing an active part in shaping the EU’s response. Parliament does not recognise Lukashenka’s presidency and is speaking out on human rights abuses in Belarus. The Belarusian democratic opposition, which was awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize, is frequently invited to speak for the Belarusian people in the European Parliament.

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP

A defiant President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday (26 May) defended Belarus’s diversion of a European flight and arrest of a dissident on board, lashing out at critics at home and abroad.

The UN civil aviation agency will hold an urgent meeting to discuss Belarus after Western powers on the UN Security Council called for the body to investigate Minsk’s diversion of a European flight and arrest of a dissident.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday (4 May) he would like to hold his proposed summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his June trip to Europe.