Putin Says Russia Will Develop Nuclear Cooperation with Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed on Monday that Moscow is ready to continue helping Minsk develop its nuclear industry.

During his talks with his Belarusian Leader Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said: "We are intensively working in almost all areas. In the energy sector, Russia, to its own detriment, nevertheless continues the nuclear project - we are building a nuclear power plant. The first unit is operational.”

The Russian leader further indicated that Russia could supply additional gas to Belarus. However, he highlighted that the nuclear power plant is operating there with an energy production capacity of nearly 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas.

"We are ready to further develop this project, work, and build units. But, in my opinion, the most important thing is that we are ready (and we are doing this) to create an industry, train local personnel, and develop science in an appropriate way," Putin asserted. 

In the same vein, the Russian leader noted that Minsk and Moscow are countering the sanction pressure from unfriendly states attempting to isolate the two nations from global markets. 

"We are coordinating steps to mitigate the impact of unlawful restrictive measures on the economy of our countries. We are doing this fairly confidently and efficiently," he said.