Lukashenko Meets Putin in Valdai After Ukrainian Drone Ultimatum
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko visited Vladimir Putin's residence in Valdai on 26 June, one day after claiming to have met Ukrainian representatives. The meeting, unusual for its location, covered economic and security issues. No official statement was issued, amid tensions over Russian drone relays in Belarus.
On 26 June, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko traveled to Valdai, Russia, for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter's residence. The visit occurred one day after Lukashenko stated that he had met with representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Belarus.
The Kremlin reported that the two leaders held one-on-one discussions focusing on trade and economic cooperation, joint economic projects, and regional security. A similar description was provided by the Belarusian Telegram channel Pul Pervogo, which is closely linked to Lukashenko's press service. Notably, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that no statements to the media were planned following the meeting.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of recent tensions stemming from an ultimatum issued by President Zelenskyy on 19 June. Zelenskyy demanded that Belarus remove relay transmitters used to guide Russian drones targeting Ukrainian cities within a week, or Ukraine would take action itself.
Subsequently, on 24 June, Ukraine's Border Guard Service reported a decrease in the number of Russian attack drones entering Ukrainian airspace via Chernihiv Oblast, noting that there had been no mass flights of Shahed drones along the Belarus-Ukraine border in recent days. Zelenskyy later stated that the relay transmitters had ceased operating in Belarus as of 22 June.
The meeting in Valdai is considered unusual as Putin rarely hosts foreign leaders at that residence. The lack of a public statement afterward suggests that details of the discussions were kept confidential.
