Putin reveals Russia and Belarus’s special relationship just got more special

Vladimir Putin has just made it easier for Russians to stand in elections in Belarus – a likely test run for deeper political integration. Russia’s president and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko are delivering a joint news conference as they meet in Moscow – about the two countries’ ‘friendship’, about ‘hostile and destabilising’ Nato and the war in Ukraine. One of the announcements focused on ‘amendments’ on the equal rights of citizens. ‘Citizens of Russia and Belarus will be able to participate in local elections in both countries,’ Putin told reporters.