During a meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, Russia, on Monday, Mr. Putin said Russia will provide Belarus with a loan of 1.5 billion USD.

The two leaders agreed to conduct joint military drills and promote cooperation between their defense industries.

Mr. Putin said that Belarus will be the first country to receive Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has already entered the final stages of the testing process.

Mr. Lukashenko said events in Belarus were lessons for both countries, stressing the importance of cooperating with Russia in all fields.