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The talks took place ahead of the Union State Supreme State Council meeting that will sum up the results of implementing the core document, the Guidelines for Implementing the Treaty on Establishing the Union State for 2021–2023 and set the priorities for the next three years.

The meeting continued as a working lunch.

Earlier that day, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko took part, via videoconference, in the ceremony for launching trial operation of the Vostok station’s new wintering complex in the Antarctic and visited the SKA Arena multi-purpose concert and sports complex in St Petersburg.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Lukashenko,

We are meeting in St Petersburg. Thank you for accepting my invitation. I am very pleased that you have even agreed to slightly alter the schedule of our joint work. I am talking about our work tomorrow during the Union State Supreme State Council meeting, in view of the celebrations to mark the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad (St Petersburg) from the Nazi siege. We attended this commemorative event and also went to Gatchina yesterday for the unveiling of a new memorial dedicated to the Soviet Union’s civilian victims during World War II.

Today, we even had an opportunity to tour a new ice arena. I believe it is also an important facility in terms of developing sports contacts.

In general, our relations are developing quite rapidly. Over the first ten months of 2023, Russia-Belarus trade amounted to US$42.5 billion, according to our data, and it is constantly growing. Russia is your country’s biggest investor. Russian investors invested US$4 billion in the Belarusian economy. This is a mutual effort, with Russian companies and businesses operating in Belarus, and our Belarusian friends increasingly showing more active involvement in the Russian market.

Our relations are developing in all areas. I mean not only industrial cooperation, I am also talking about agriculture, science, education, culture – everything is growing at a fast and good pace.

Today we have considered such an unusual issue as cooperation in the Antarctic. You may ask: “Where are we and where is Antarctica?” However, it turns out that there are joint interests there as well, there is something to work on together, and we will certainly pursue it.

I am very glad to have the opportunity to talk to you at an easy pace tonight about our bilateral relations, about our interaction within the CIS, the CSTO and the EAEU. We have a large scope of joint work here as well. We will talk about everything without any haste tonight.

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko: First of all, Mr Putin, thank you for the invitation. On top of the Supreme State Council, we have indeed had two busy days.

We have held a very important event for our people – Russians and Belarusians. I already said at the unveiling of the monument that you have grasped very subtly the fact that we owe something to our people on the home front, to those who could not defend themselves in the rear and whom the Nazis, breaking through, killed, drained blood from children and so on. This is a monumental and at the same time self-explanatory memorial. This is very appropriate and dignified.

And the crown of that event – the show and concert, Requiem, at such a big stadium – is our tribute to the defenders and blockade survivors. Thank God they are still alive, we owe them a debt of gratitude. That is why I am grateful that you invited me. Somehow you and I felt that it would be good if someone from Ukraine stood next to us, after all, it was the three Slavic peoples that suffered. But it is their choice what to do. They have a different course. However, I believe they will come back to us as they have no place to go.

Today we visited a sports facility – I did not even know that you had built it. It is truly a palace for the development of sport of different kinds. It is a cultural and sports complex, where you can hold any events, very well-designed. I met with the guys, with Belarusians, who work and play there, and Russians, whom I saw only on ice – as you said, they are open and decent people. That's also very important. I think we will find a moment in our schedule to watch a game at this beautiful stadium.

Speaking of Antarctica, nobody divided anything in the Soviet Union, everyone worked together. I am very happy, and I believe that you are also happy. We are happy that we did not split, and that we are doing one and the same job in Antarctica. The following thought occurred to me: What other country could provide these opportunities to such a country as Belarus? To be frank, we see no problems in Russia. If Russia has something (and Russia has a lot), please, come, work, let’s do it together, take, earn, act. No other country could have treated Belarus the way Russia does. I am speculating as to what prevented Ukraine and the Baltic states from working with us in this manner. This is our world, and it took us several decades to build it. We won together during this terrible war; and let us move in this direction. Well, they do not want to do this, and they are looking for a better life overseas. These events breed such moods.

Tomorrow will be a special day, we will formalise our multiple movements within the framework of the Supreme State Council. I believe that we will hold this Supreme State Council meeting in a worthy manner at top level. This, too, will show that we have prospects. We will discuss our Union State programmes and their successful implementation. We have accomplished a lot. We will try to look ahead into the future and assess our subsequent development. Anyway, thank you very much for what has been accomplished.

Back in the times when they did not pressure us so hard, those days were always filled with discussions of issues that should have been resolved by our governments. Today these issues are being resolved by our governments. Whereas you and I have our own obligation – to refine the agenda. I am very happy about our meeting, and I am satisfied with it. I am always ready to travel at any location in Russia; there is a lot to see and to discuss.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Of course, I will inform you in detail about the developments in the special military operation zone during our conversation today.

Alexander Lukashenko: You did not mention an interval following the meeting on Antarctica. We delved seriously into issues of defence industries. We are not hiding anything. We discussed multiple issues, assessed future development options and the development of certain systems in the context of this bitter experience of the special military operation.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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