Russian Prime Minister Putin in Minsk for three-way trade summit

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Tuesday for a trade and energy summit with his counterparts from Kazakhstan and Belarus, dpa reported

Energy deliveries between the former Soviet republics, construction of a new atomic energy station in Belarus with Russia's assistance, and trade issues are on the summit's agenda.

Putin is to meet with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Miasnikovich and Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov.

Cooperation in aerospace and strategies for a joint application for membership in the World Trade Organization will also be discussed, news reports said.

Putin was expected to have one-on-one talks with President Aleksander Lukashenko on the status of Russian nationals who have been jailed in Belarus since anti-government demonstrations in December