Putin and Lukashenka not to have face to face meeting in Sochi

The Kremlin waits for the release of Baumgertner.

“A face to face meeting [of Vladimir Putin and Aliaksandr Lukashenka] is not planned in Sochi, but the leaders are expected to meet in a narrow format. Contacts during a protocol event are possible,” Yuri Ushakov, the president's aide, told Interfax.

He repeated: “No bilateral contacts between the presidents of Russia and Belarus are planned so far.”

Ushakov reminded that the CSTO summit would consist of several parts, including “talks in narrow and extended formats” and a reception for the heads of state.

The aide to the Russian president declined to answer a question whether a topic of Uralkali would be raised in conversations between the Russian and Belarusian presidents.

He only reminded that Russia expected the issue on the extradition of Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner to be settled in the near future. “We expect this Russian citizen to he handed over to Russia. This process drags on a bit,” Ushakov said.

Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader's spokesman, said on September 18 that president Vladimir Putin would probably meet with Aliaksandr Lukashenka on the sidelines of the CSTO summit.

“Lukashenka will really take part. His participation was confirmed and we, of course, count on a meeting between them,” Peskov said.

He added that all participants would have meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

Putin and Lukashenka were reported to take part in a regular meeting of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Sochi on September 23.