Lukashenko, Putin agree on supply to Belarus of modern military equipment - Minsk

MINSK. March 11 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin during talks in Moscow on Friday discussed the crisis in Ukraine, defense industry development, cooperation and countering the Western sanctions pressure, Belarusian presidential press secretary Natalya Eismont said.

"The presidents had a substantive discussion of the situation in the world and in the region, with an emphasis on Ukraine, on a priority basis. Among the issues addressed in this context were the talks held in Belarus and the positions of the Russian and Ukrainian sides. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky was invited to the meeting during the discussion of this issue, and the unified opinion was stated at the end [of the meeting]: the conflict can be solved at any moment if the Ukrainian side wants to," Eismont was quoted as saying by the state agency BelTA.

"A lot of attention during the talks was given to the development of the defense industry and defense of the Union Sate. In particular, an agreement was reached on the supply in the near future by Russian to the Republic of Belarus of the most modern military equipment. Belarus, for its part, will increase the supply of modern agricultural and passenger equipment and other machine-building products," the press secretary said.

The second part of the talks addressed vital issues relating to bilateral relations and the development of interaction in connection with the Western pressure, she said.

"As to the most important issues: the presidents conceptually agreed on joint steps for mutual support in connection with the sanctions pressure, including on prices on energy sources. The meeting participants also addressed issues relating to cooperation in industry, agriculture, and cargo transportation between the countries," Eismont said.

The presidents reached mutually profitable agreements in the financial sphere, she said.

"I want to add that, as the president of Belarus said after the talks, Russia has taken very serious and unprecedented steps to support our country's economy. In the wake of the presidents' agreements, government delegations will hold talks in Moscow on Monday and will come up with specific decisions on the issues that were addressed," Eismont said.