Merkel called Lukashenka twice

What did the leaders of Belarus and Germany agree on?

On Wednesday, November 17, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held his second telephone conversation this week with Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The parties did not report in detail about what was discussed on Monday during their first communication after almost a year break, since the head of the German government was supposed to discuss Minsk's proposals with colleagues in the European Union. Some details of the first conversation on November 17 were revealed by Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets: according to her, the Belarusian president put forward an ultimatum - an end to the migration crisis in exchange for recognition of the legitimacy of his power and the lifting of all Western sanctions on Belarus.

Following the second conversation between Lukashenka and Merkel, the press service of the Belarusian president said: the parties reached an understanding that the problem as a whole should be brought to the level of Belarus and the EU, they will determine the persons who will immediately enter into negotiations in order to resolve existing problems. International organizations will also take part in this - Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, insisted on this. In the course of the work, the wish of migrants to get to Germany will also be taken into account.

On November 17, the European Commission issued a statement that the EU will allocate €700,000 to help migrants, of which €200,000 will be distributed through the Belarusian branch of the Red Cross.