Lukashenko: I have to contact Putin, protests are not just a threat to Belarus

MINSK (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday he wanted to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that street protests were not just a threat to Belarus.

Mass unrest followed Lukashenko’s recovery last week, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets, accusing him of rigging the vote.

“There is a need to contact Putin so that I can talk to him now, because it is no longer a threat to just Belarus,” he said, according to state news agency Belta.

“Defending Belarus today is nothing less than defending our entire space, the unity state, and an example to others … Those who walked the streets, most of them do not understand this.”