Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as his elder brother, Trend reports citing TASS.
"I regard Putin as my elder brother, and I sincerely believe that he is my brother," Lukashenko told Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon in a TV interview. "Not in the sense one in command as a senior and the other is junior. He is really like an elder brother in terms of age and [political] weight… An elder brother’s role is to help, support and advise. Not to make you stumble, but to provide support."
Lukashenko acknowledged that certain tensions in his relationship with Putin did exist.
"Yes, there are certain tensions, because both of us are persons of strong character, if you don’t mind my saying so," Lukashenko said.