Russia has agreed to release $500m in credit to Belarus and look to increase the number of flights between the two countries as the Kremlin doubled down on its support for Alexander Lukashenko after his forced landing of a passenger flight that has sparked western condemnation.
Russian president Vladimir Putin hosted Lukashenko in Sochi on Saturday, treating his guest to a yacht trip on the Black Sea a day after the two men held talks for more than five hours.
The two-day summit has underscored Moscow’s position as the embattled autocrat’s closest and most reliable foreign ally, and took place as the US joined the EU in imposing sanctions against Minsk.