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Belarusian, Russian cabinets get orders to develop joint response to sanctions

Belarusian President noted that certain powers were beginning to unite to surround two countries and put pressure on them

MINSK, June 1. /TASS/. The governments of Belarus and Russia have been ordered to develop joint measures to respond to Western sanctions, the ‘SB. Belarus Segodnya" news outlet reported on Tuesday, citing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

"I would like to ask you, Roman Alexandrovich [Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko — TASS] not to delay the issue. Everything should be done in a reasonable manner without acting impulsively, no need to shoot ourselves in the foot, let alone in the head," Lukashenko said at a meeting on Belarusian-Russian cooperation.

He pointed out that Minsk and Moscow were ready to stand together to counter foreign pressure. "Both President Putin and I realize that certain powers are beginning to unite to surround us and put pressure on us," Lukashenko noted. "We are determined to resist these attacks together," the Belarusian president stated.

Lukashenko also said that Putin and he had discussed the Russian leader’s upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden at their meeting in Sochi. He added that the parties also touched upon the situation in Ukraine and issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the same time, Belarusian President has stated that there has been no discussion of Belarus giving up its sovereignty against the background of integration with Russia.

"So that there will be no innuendos along the lines that we are giving up our sovereignty and independence. This wasn’t even mentioned. We didn’t talk about this at all," he said.

According to Lukashenko, in spite of Western provocations and attacks, the economy remains the top subject on the agenda of relations between Minsk and Moscow. "If it’s about the economy - we will resolve all issues," the president noted. "We were resolving specific issues which would help us get closer with the Russian Federation. I will reiterate, we need only one thing - equal conditions for economic entities, individuals," he explained.