<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday vowed to back Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko against foreign "interference", as the two signed a series of agreements on closer integration.</p>.<p>Speaking during a televised video meeting with Lukashenko, Putin hailed the bilateral ties between Russia and Belarus and promised Moscow's continued backing for the increasingly isolated Lukashenko.</p>.<p>"We will together resist any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign states and Russia will of course continue to provide assistance to the brotherly Belarusian people -- there is no doubt about that," Putin said from the Crimean city of Sevastopol where he was marking a national holiday.</p>.<p>Putin and Lukashenko agreed in September to a series of 28 programmes aimed at deepening integration under a decades-old plan for a "union state" between Russia and Belarus.</p>.<p>The agreements were signed on Thursday focus mainly on economic and regulatory issues, including common policies on taxation, banking, industry, agriculture and energy.</p>.<p>There was no mention of trickier issues surrounding political integration, like longstanding plans for a single parliament or currency.</p>.<p>Putin has become Lukashenko's primary political backer as the longtime Belarusian leader faces international pressure following a brutal crackdown on the opposition.</p>.<p>Belarusian authorities arrested and jailed thousands of people after unprecedented anti-government protests erupted when Lukashenko claimed victory in an August 2020 election the opposition said was rigged.</p>.<p>Lukashenko on Thursday thanked Putin for his support, saying: "The unprecedented external pressure has become a serious test of strength for the relations between our countries. We can say with confidence that we have passed that test."</p>.<p>There were reports of tensions between the two leaders ahead of the meeting and Lukashenko joked before signing that some in Russia had asked "whether we will sign or not".</p>.<p>Putin told Lukashenko that more needed to be done to create a single migration and visa space and appeared to express displeasure with Belarus's management of its borders.</p>.<p>"The task of creating an atmosphere of stability and security on our external borders is of particular importance," Putin said.</p>.<p>Thousands of migrants -- mostly from Africa and the Middle East -- have crossed or tried to cross from Belarus into the eastern European Union states of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in recent months.</p>.<p>The EU accuses Lukashenko of encouraging the migrants to come to Belarus and deliberately sending them across in retaliation for EU sanctions.</p>.<p>Putin, in power for more than 20 years, and Lukashenko, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, have had a volatile relationship.</p>.<p>The two have sought to present a united front against the West, but their countries have also seen a series of political and economic disputes.</p>
<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday vowed to back Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko against foreign "interference", as the two signed a series of agreements on closer integration.</p>.<p>Speaking during a televised video meeting with Lukashenko, Putin hailed the bilateral ties between Russia and Belarus and promised Moscow's continued backing for the increasingly isolated Lukashenko.</p>.<p>"We will together resist any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign states and Russia will of course continue to provide assistance to the brotherly Belarusian people -- there is no doubt about that," Putin said from the Crimean city of Sevastopol where he was marking a national holiday.</p>.<p>Putin and Lukashenko agreed in September to a series of 28 programmes aimed at deepening integration under a decades-old plan for a "union state" between Russia and Belarus.</p>.<p>The agreements were signed on Thursday focus mainly on economic and regulatory issues, including common policies on taxation, banking, industry, agriculture and energy.</p>.<p>There was no mention of trickier issues surrounding political integration, like longstanding plans for a single parliament or currency.</p>.<p>Putin has become Lukashenko's primary political backer as the longtime Belarusian leader faces international pressure following a brutal crackdown on the opposition.</p>.<p>Belarusian authorities arrested and jailed thousands of people after unprecedented anti-government protests erupted when Lukashenko claimed victory in an August 2020 election the opposition said was rigged.</p>.<p>Lukashenko on Thursday thanked Putin for his support, saying: "The unprecedented external pressure has become a serious test of strength for the relations between our countries. We can say with confidence that we have passed that test."</p>.<p>There were reports of tensions between the two leaders ahead of the meeting and Lukashenko joked before signing that some in Russia had asked "whether we will sign or not".</p>.<p>Putin told Lukashenko that more needed to be done to create a single migration and visa space and appeared to express displeasure with Belarus's management of its borders.</p>.<p>"The task of creating an atmosphere of stability and security on our external borders is of particular importance," Putin said.</p>.<p>Thousands of migrants -- mostly from Africa and the Middle East -- have crossed or tried to cross from Belarus into the eastern European Union states of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in recent months.</p>.<p>The EU accuses Lukashenko of encouraging the migrants to come to Belarus and deliberately sending them across in retaliation for EU sanctions.</p>.<p>Putin, in power for more than 20 years, and Lukashenko, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, have had a volatile relationship.</p>.<p>The two have sought to present a united front against the West, but their countries have also seen a series of political and economic disputes.</p>