Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with the re-elected Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday. Putin congratulated the 70-year-old leader on his re-election, describing the victory as a clear confirmation of his “high political authority”and the “unwavering support”of the population for the government’s course.
During the conversation, Putin emphasized the significant progress made in recent years in strengthening bilateral ties between Moscow and Minsk. He underlined the importance of further deepening cooperation and developing the Union State, as well as promoting integration processes in the Eurasian region. Putin assured Lukashenko of Russia’s continued support in implementing these goals and wished him success in his work for the fraternal peoples of the neighboring country. He also announced that Lukashenko would soon be expected in Moscow.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won the election with 86.82% of the votes, as expected, in a turnout of 85.7%. The official election results are likely to be confirmed by the Central Election Commission in early February. The exiled opposition, represented by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, had already labeled the election as illegitimate in the run-up to the vote.
The EU’s High Representative, Kaja Kallas, criticized the election on Sunday as a sham and announced that the EU would continue its “restrictive and targeted measures.”German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the day as a “bitter one”for the country’s population.
Lukashenko received congratulations from international leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.