MOSCOW—Russia risks being drawn further into the political upheaval in neighboring Belarus after President Vladimir Putin agreed with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko not to let mass protests over its scandal-plagued elections pry the two longtime allies apart. The two men spoke by phone Saturday as thousands of demonstrators again took to the streets of the Belarus capital Minsk to demand Mr. Lukashenko step down or allow a recount of Aug. 9’s vote. Nearly 7,000 people were detained, according to authorities, many of them badly beaten. But on Saturday, antigovernment crowds began to swell again at a spot where one demonstrator was killed earlier in the week. The two leaders discussed “the situation that is developing in and around” Belarus, Mr. Lukashenko’s press service said on Saturday soon after the phone call.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 15, 2020 18:00 UTC