Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the embattled Belarus leader and promised €1.26bn loan as Alexander Lukashenko vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow.
Mr Lukashenko thanked Mr Putin and vowed to stick closer to "elder brother" Moscow during one-to-one talks at the Russian president's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi that lasted around four hours.
The Belarusian leader was making his first foreign trip since his disputed win in 9 August presidential polls prompted mass protests against his rule, the latest drawing tens of thousands in Minsk yesterday.
Mr Putin appeared to endorse mr Lukashenko's political future, praising the Belarusian's sketched-out plans for constitutional changes to appease the opposition.
The Russian president said during joint televised comments he was "sure that considering your experience" this would "allow the development of the country's political system to reach new heights".
Mr Putin also offered economic support, saying Russia would extend Belarus a government loan of €1.26bn.
He said that Belarusians should deal with the crisis "themselves, calmly and in dialogue with each other, without hints and pressure from outside".
The talks lasted almost four hours, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, calling them "constructive".
He said Mr Lukashenko confirmed to Mr Putin "his intention to make changes to the constitution," while declining to give details.
The talks lasted almost four hours, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, calling them "constructive".
He said Mr Lukashenko confirmed to Mr Putin "his intention to make changes to the constitution," while declining to give details.
Mr Lukashenko first raised this several years ago but has made few concrete proposals.
Since the mass protests began, he has suggested constitutional reforms as a response to calls for social change, although this falls far short of the opposition's demands.
Mr Putin said last month that Russia had created a reserve group of law enforcement officers to help ensure security in Belarus and he reiterated that Russia was "committed to all its obligations" under a military alliance of former Soviet countries.
Mr Lukashenko thanked Mr Putin for behaving "very decently" and said of Belarus that "we need to stick closer to our elder brother and cooperate on all issues".
After consistently blaming the crisis on outside players, Mr Lukashenko criticised military drills in NATO countries near Belarus's borders, saying that Russia and Belarus would prepare their armies to resist any threats.
The Belarusian leader visited Russia a day after the latest demonstration against his rule saw police detain more than 500 protesters in Minsk.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claims she was the true winner in polls, condemned Mr Putin for negotiating with "illegitimate Lukashenko."
"I really regret you decided to hold dialogue with a usurper and not with the Belarusian people," Ms Tikhanovskaya, who has taken shelter in Lithuania, said in a statement.
She later said Mr Lukashenko should be personally liable for Russia's loan and warned Russians that their taxes "will be used to pay for beating us up".
