Russia, Belarus discuss foreign policy coordination after US-backed negotiations

ISTANBUL

The Russian and Belarusian foreign ministers on Tuesday discussed foreign policy coordination, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Sergey Lavrov and Maxim Ryzhenkov spoke by phone, with Lavrov briefing his Belarusian counterpart on the results of US-mediated ceasefire talks held in Saudi Arabia a day earlier.

In a separate interview with Channel One, Lavrov said the talks focused primarily on safe navigation in the Black Sea.

The two top diplomats also exchanged views on bilateral integration, including joint work at the UN and other multilateral platforms, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Additionally, they reviewed the schedule of upcoming high-level contacts between Russia and Belarus.

Moscow and Minsk maintain close political, military and economic ties, which have deepened since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko signed several agreements, including one on the “mutual protection of citizens from unjustified prosecution by foreign states and international justice bodies,” according to the Kremlin.