Published: 10:44, December 6, 2024
Putin approves signing Russia-Belarus security guarantee agreement
By Xinhua
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and National Projects at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Dec 5, 2024. (PHOTO / AP) 

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a proposal to sign security guarantees with Belarus within the framework of the Union State, the Kremlin said in a statement Thursday.

"By his Order, the President resolved to approve the Russian Foreign Ministry's proposal, coordinated with the relevant federal state bodies, on signing a Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on Security Guarantees within the Union State," the statement reads.

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The order also allows the Russian Foreign Ministry to make non-essential amendments to the draft treaty during future negotiations.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko approved the draft treaty earlier Thursday, according to the BelTA news agency.

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The next meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State will take place in Minsk on Friday. Putin and Lukashenko are expected to sign a range of documents focused on further advancing integration, sovereignty, security, and economic independence, according to local media.

The Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus was signed in 1999, and the upcoming meeting will mark its 25th anniversary.