Putin backs Belarus leader with cash and warm words

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Belarus' beleaguered ruler Alexander Lukashenko a warm welcome and a $1.5 billion loan at the start of talks Monday, offering his full backing against month-long opposition protests over disputed elections.

"We consider Belarus our closest ally and, as I've told you repeatedly in phone talks, we will fulfill all our obligations," said Putin, who congratulated Lukashenko again on his re-election and wished him success.

A subdued Lukashenko thanked Putin for his support. "These events have shown that we need to stick closer to our elder brother," he said at their first face-to-face meeting since the political crisis began.

The Belarusian currency has come under pressure amid the crisis, declining more than 8% in the past three months. At "this difficult moment" for Belarus, Russia will provide the $1.5 billion in credit and "I hope this will have an appropriate impact on the financial markets," Putin said.

The talks in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi come a day after tens of thousands rallied against Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, for the fifth Sunday in a row, defying riot police and masked men without insignia who tried violently to break up protests. Police detained 774 people, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

Putin is determined that protesters won't topple Lukashenko, who's ruled for 26 years, even as Moscow doesn't trust him and will encourage steps toward an eventual succession, five people close to the Kremlin said, asking not to be identified discussing internal policy.

In a phone call with Putin on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the need for a political solution in Belarus "without external interference," Macron said in a statement. Putin confirmed Russia's opposition to any foreign meddling in Belarus, according to a Kremlin statement.

The opposition that united behind Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who says she won the election and is now in exile in Lithuania, wants Lukashenko to begin talks on handing over power. He has rejected any compromise.

The crisis engulfing Moscow's closest partner echoes revolts that swept away pro-Kremlin leaders in Ukraine and Armenia since 2014 and comes weeks after Putin changed Russia's constitution to allow him to extend his two-decade rule, potentially to 2036.

The European Union and the U.S. have condemned the repression and rejected the election result but have only threatened sanctions so far.