Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was taken to hospital after meeting with Vladimir Putin

Moscow: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was taken to a hospital in Moscow after meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Newsweek reported, citing the Belarusian opposition leader. Claiming that Lukashenko was in critical condition at Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital, Belarus 2020 presidential candidate Valery Tsepalko said in a Saturday Telegram post that his team needed more information and had not confirmed it, American weekly news magazine Newsweek reported.

“According to the information we have, additional confirmation is required,” Tsepkalo said in a Telegram post, adding that after meeting with Putin behind closed doors, Lukashenko was urgently taken to Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital, where He is currently living.”

“The best specialists were sent to return him (Lukashenko) from a condition assessed by doctors as critical,” he said.

Tsepalko’s message on Telegram further stated, “The purpose of the organized measures to protect the Belarusian dictator was to deflect speculation about possible involvement in the Kremlin poisoning.” He said that according to news reports, doctors have warned of a possible recurrence of the relapse.

According to Newsweek, rumors have been swirling about Lukashenko’s health since his appearance at the Victory Day ceremony in Moscow’s Red Square on 9 May. However, Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, dismissed the rumors and said, “I’m not going to die guys.”

Russian news agency TASS reported that last week, Russia signed an agreement with the Lukashenko government to formalize the deployment of strategic nuclear missiles in Belarus.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry reported that the defense ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents defining the procedures for storing Russian nuclear weapons in a special facility on Belarusian territory.

“During the meeting, documents were signed determining the procedure for placing Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special storage facility on the territory of the Republic of Belarus,” said the ministry’s press service.

The measures taken by Russia and Belarus “comply with all existing international legal obligations,” it stressed. The Defense Ministers discussed the current military and political situation and issues of military and technical cooperation between the two countries.