MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warmly congratulated his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on winning the country’s presidential election, the Kremlin press service reported following a phone call between the two leaders.
"Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus on securing a resounding victory in the presidential election and wished him success in serving in the nation’s highest office," the report reads.
Earlier, Putin sent a congratulatory message to Lukashenko. The Russian president pointed out that Moscow and Minsk had done a lot to strengthen their friendly ties and would continue to cooperate.
According to preliminary data from the Belarusian Central Election Commission, Lukashenko won Sunday’s presidential election, garnering 86.82% of the vote.