푸틴, '퇴진 위기' 벨라루스 대통령에 군사•경제 지원 약속<br /><br />Russian President Vladimir Putin says he sees Belarus as his closest ally, and will fulfill all obligations under a union treaty between the two neighbors.<br />Putin's political support comes as Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko visited Russia on Monday, as demonstrations demanding Lukashenko's resignation entered their sixth week.<br />"We've reached an agreement that Russia, in this tough moment, will grant Belarus a state loan of 1.5 billion dollars, and we will get it done."<br />But he also emphasized the Belarusians should settle the political crisis without foreign interference.<br />Large-scale protests have been ongoing in Belarus for weeks following a controversial election on August 9th, which handed Lukashenko his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote.<br />An estimated 150-thousand people took to the streets of the Belarusian capital on Sunday, protesting the extension of his 26-year rule.<br />Lukashenko, having secured Putin's support on Monday, warned there were limits to the level of unrest that he will tolerate.<br />
