Kremlin: Russian, Belarusian presidents may discuss pressing issues on Tuesday
MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax) - There have been no plans to hold a separate meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on the sidelines of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit and the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council sitting on Tuesday yet the probability of such a contact "is in the air", Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said at a press briefing on Monday.
"There is no agreement to hold a separate meeting. However, the presidents of Russia and Belarus will doubtlessly have a possibility to discuss pressing issues of current times," Ushakov said.
He was asked whether Putin was planned to meet with Lukashenko to discuss bilateral tensions deriving from customs altercations amongst other issues.
"I suppose that the probability of holding an out-of-schedule meeting with Lukashenko is in the air," the presidential aide said.
"Let me also remind you that we are maintaining permanent close contacts with Belarus, in particular, between the presidents, and I do not rule out that during tomorrow's debates the presidents may agree on a separate meeting dedicated to these issues," Ushakov said.
They will have a chance of personal contact: "they can step aside, sit down, talk and, maybe, agree on a meeting," he said.
