Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 18, 2019. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

This will be the first meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko since Belarus was gripped by anti-government protests over the disputed presidential election on August 9 that handed victory to Lukashenko.

The Belarusian Central Electoral Commission said Lukashenko won 80.1% of the votes and his rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya 10.12%. Tikhanovskaya has not accepted that reported result.