Putin's expectations after Lukashenko's victory

(Patria) – Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that he expects neighboring Belarus to reactivate the plan for closer integration with Russia.

Putin's statement comes after the presidential elections in Belarus, in which Alexander Lukashenko achieved a convincing victory – a result that the opposition does not accept, considering it rigged.

Protests by citizens dissatisfied with the election results followed the announcement of preliminary results according to which Lukashenko won as much as 80% support.

Putin has long advocated for closer relations between Minsk and Moscow, even in the form of a united state, which Lukashenko has rejected until now, accusing Russia of territorial aspirations.

Belarus is a key transit country for Russian oil to the West, and Moscow also sees it as a buffer zone against the NATO alliance.

– I hope that your actions will benefit the mutually beneficial relations between Russia and Belarus in all fields, deepen cooperation within the Union, and strengthen integration processes, reads Putin's congratulatory message to Lukashenko.

Putin also expressed hope that Belarus will opt for close military-political relations with Russia within the defense bloc to which both countries belong, Reuters writes. 

Lukashenko (65), a former collective farm manager who has tried for years to play Russia against the West and China, playing hot and cold with Russia, did not immediately respond to Putin's political courtesy.

During the election campaign, Lukashenko commented on Russia several times, including that the dispute with Russia over oil had harmed Belarus by $700 million, alluding to the failure of the two countries at the beginning of the year to reach an agreement on a new oil supply contract.

He also rejected Russia's request to establish an air base on Belarusian territory, and recently accused a Russian private security company of sending a group of mercenaries to Belarus to destabilize the country ahead of the presidential elections, which Moscow vehemently denied.