Credit tranche for $ 500 million and a detained Russian woman
Kremlin reveals results of talks between Putin and Lukashenko
A two-day meeting of the Presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, has ended in Sochi. During these negotiations, the heads of state reached agreements on the next transfer of a credit tranche to Minsk for $ 500 million and discussed the situation with the Russian woman detained in Belarus together with the co-founder of Nexta.
This was Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters. According to him, Minsk will receive the second transfer for $ 500 million within the Russian loan of $ 1.5 billion to Belarus in the near future. “There are no obstacles, everything has been agreed,” said a Kremlin spokesman (quoted by RIA Novosti).
The first tranche of this loan was received by the Belarusian authorities at the end of last year. The timing of the transfer of the second was not determined. Now, after the meeting between Putin and Lukashenko, the Pool Pervyi Telegram channel, close to the President of Belarus, pointed out, “the tranche issue has been resolved.” In addition, Peskov pointed out, “at the initiative of Putin” at the talks, “the topic of a Russian citizen who was detained and is in a pre-trial detention center [Belarus] was raised” (quote from RBC). It was about the girl Sofia Sapega, detained together with the co-founder of the opposition Telegram-channel Nexta in the republic. “Of course, we are not indifferent to her fate,” Peskov noted, adding that the fact that the Russian woman had a Belarusian residence permit was confirmed. This fact must be taken into account, according to the presidential administration: “Everything should happen within the law,” Putin’s spokesman said. How Lukashenko reacted to this, Peskov did not tell. Putin, the President of Belarus, according to him, informed in detail about the situation around the Ryanair flight. The incident requires a “thoughtful investigation”, the Kremlin stated. The presidents of Russia and Belarus on May 28 held five-hour talks in Sochi, and then continued informal communication on the 29th. Putin then offered Lukashenko to swim in the sea, and he gladly accepted his offer. On the evening of May 29, the Kremlin press service published a photo from the “sea voyage of the leaders of the two countries on a yacht.”
The question of why Vladimir Putin did not swim in the Black Sea during a meeting in Sochi with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is “the president’s personal space.” This was stated by Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, reports TASS. “I dont know. This is the president’s personal space: whether he bathed or not, he said. “As for the joint plans of Putin and Lukashenko, they were implemented, on Saturday the two presidents took a boat trip together.” On May 28, when Lukashenko arrived in Sochi, Putin invited him to swim. “The weather in Sochi is good, as you can see. We can swim, ”the Russian president said. “With pleasure,” Lukashenko replied. On May 30, the Pool of the First Telegram channel, associated with Lukashenko, published a photo of the President of Belarus bathing alone. Peskov on the same day reported that Putin and Lukashenko did not swim: “Not today”.