MINSK, August 24. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation in Belarus, BelTA agency reported on Monday.

"The presidents discussed the situation in our country and around it, especially in the Western context," it said.

Apart from that, the leaders agreed that Belarus will be the first country to supply the Russian anti-coronavirus vaccine. "The heads of state discussed issues of combating the coronavirus infection. In this context, the presidents agreed that Belarusian citizens will voluntarily take part in the third stage of tests of the Russian-manufactured anti-coronavirus vaccine. Belarus will be the first country to be supplied with this vaccine," BelTA said.

By today, Putin and Lukashenko have had four telephone conversations dedicated to the situation in Belarus. This topic was also raised during Putin’s telephone talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and European Council President Charles Michel.

On August 9, Belarus held its sixth presidential election since declaring independence in 1991. According to the final results of Sunday’s voting, the incumbent president, Alexander Lukashenko, won 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, scored 10.12% of votes.

Mass protests and clashes with police took place in Minsk and other Belarusian cities after exit poll results were made public. As a result, some 7,000 people were detained, dozens of law enforcers and demonstrators were injured during the first days of protests. The opposition set up a coordination council for peaceful transfer of power, which is calling on workers to stage strikes.