Isolation pushes Belarus’s Lukashenko closer to Russia’s Putin
—Russian President Vladimir Putin made a display of support for beleaguered Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko Friday in their first meeting since Minsk sparked Western outrage earlier this week by forcing a European airliner to land and arresting a dissident journalist onboard.
State television showed the leaders embracing, and both mocked international condemnation of the incident ahead of talks at Mr. Putin’s residence at the seaside resort of Sochi. Mr. Putin even suggested the two go swimming.
But Mr. Lukashenko’s increasing political and economic isolation from the West is pushing the leader dangerously close to Russia and providing Mr. Putin an opening to advance long-held plans to deepen the integration between Russia and the former Soviet republic.