Putin shrugs when Lukashenko tells Russian despot he looks tired before they share a manly hug
‘You look tired Vlad’: Putin shrugs as Lukashenko tells the Russian despot he looks jaded – before the strongmen share a ‘manly hug’
- ‘Are you OK? Looks tired,” Alexander Lukashenko asked Vladimir Putin
- Both men did not talk about the war in Ukraine during the first meeting
Vladimir Putin was told by fellow tyrant that he looked tired Alexander Lukashenko before the two strongmen shared a “manly hug.”
Lukashenko towered over his bellicose ally as he greeted Putin with what resembled a bear hug.
He has arrived at the Moscow Kremlin for two days of talks on further expanding ties between their countries. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine during the visit.
It comes after Putin said last month that Russia would attempt to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Lukashenko towered over his warmongering ally as he greeted Putin with something of a bear hug
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) sits with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting at the Kremlin on Wednesday
Salute Putin, 70, despot Lukashenko told the Russian he “looked tired.”
The Minsk dictator questioned the Russian president: “Are you okay? Looks tired.’
Putin responded with a shrug.
“I tell you, a tired president,” Lukashenko repeated again.
The Belarusian then denounced Putin’s entourage, claiming they were not taking care of his fellow despot.
Putin tried to suppress Lukashenko’s outburst. “It’s okay, need some work,” he said.
Putin also told Lukashenko in comments broadcast by state television: “I must say that we have achieved a lot as a result of our joint work in all areas.”
“We will discuss all this tomorrow – this applies to our cooperation in the international arena and jointly solving questions about ensuring the security of our states.”
Moscow is Minsk’s closest political and financial financier. Lukashenko allowed Putin to use the territory of Belarus as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Salute Putin, despot Lukashenko told Putin he ‘looked tired’
Putin welcomed Lukashenko to Moscow on Wednesday
Putin said last month that Russia planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, its neighbor and ally. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.
Putin has said construction of tactical nuclear weapons storage facilities in Belarus will be completed by early July. Russia has also helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to carry nuclear weapons and supply the country bordering Ukraine with Iskander short-range missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, he said.
Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics. Russia’s pre-war population was about 140 million, compared to just 9 million for Belarus.
Earlier when Lukashenko arrived in Moscow, he was visibly in pain as he descended the steps of his presidential plane.