President of Belarus Lukashenko: there would be no Putin, there would be no our civilization 
President Vladimir Putin, said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with National Defense magazine.
“Take the same Putin. They roll on him, but there would be no Putin – there would be no our civilization, Russia would be torn apart. It took time – it happened, thanks to, among other things, President Putin, Russia was saved, ”Lukashenka said, noting that this was happening before his eyes.
According to him, they have fraternal, warm relations with Putin. “When we sit at the table, I say:“ Listen, I sometimes think, why do we perceive the reality practically the same way? ”. Philosophically speaking … I say: “You are a courtyard, and I am a street. That is, we came from there, from the very bottom,” added the President of Belarus.
He also said that 2020 was a lesson for both leaders. So, they realized that all the conversations from the West are a screen. “And they, as I said, wars were unleashed here all the time, so they are aimed today. It's just that we are already different, they are afraid of us. But their goals are the same. And last year in this regard brought us closer together, “Lukashenko stressed.
Earlier, the Belarusian leader spoke more than once about warm relations with Putin. In October 2020, he called the Russian president his only friend and promised to always be a reliable support for him.
Last year, mass protests in Belarus continued for several months demanding Lukashenka's resignation and new elections. The authorities argued that outside forces were behind what was happening.