Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Bigan on Tuesday, August 25, in Moscow. This was announced on August 24 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
“The Russian Foreign Minister plans to receive US Undersecretary of State Bigan on Tuesday,” RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.
It was reported last week that US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Beegan plans to meet with ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius on Monday.
It is planned that the meeting will become part of efforts to resolve the crisis that has arisen in Belarus. In Moscow, the American diplomat also plans to discuss the Belarusian settlement.
The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov admitted that pressure could be exerted on the ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. After leaving for Lithuania, the politician said “she wants to deal with family affairs, take care of children,” but now she again called for protests, he said.
On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus, in which the incumbent head of the country Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time in a row with a score of 80.1%. Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya gained about 10%, her supporters did not recognize the election results.
After that, protest actions continue in the country. Tikhanovskaya herself left for Lithuania. The EU countries, Canada and the United States have already declared non-recognition of the election results and threatened Lukashenko with sanctions.