Putin to meet with Lukashenko at forum in Volgograd

MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is embarking on a working trip to Volgograd. The Russian leader will participate in the Union State forum "Great Heritage - Shared Future," where he is also scheduled to meet with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, according to the Kremlin press service.

A separate meeting between Putin and Lukashenko is planned, which will focus on current issues concerning the development of relations between Russia and Belarus, the Kremlin press service reported.

The Presidents of Russia and Belarus maintain regular contact. Their most recent in-person meeting took place at the Kremlin on March 13-14, during which Moscow and Minsk signed, among other agreements, a treaty granting citizens of both countries the right to participate in local elections provided they reside permanently, and also reached agreements on certain matters related to bilateral integration.

The last telephone conversation between Putin and Lukashenko reported by the Kremlin occurred on April 7. According to the Russian side, it was dedicated to cooperation between the special services in combating terrorism. At the same time, as Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted, the Kremlin does not disclose every telephone contact between the two leaders, given how frequent they are.