Russian President Vladimir Putin said that during talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko they discussed the protection of the western borders of the two countries and the progress of military-technical cooperation, Interfax reported.

"We also discussed the formation of a common defense space and security of our states, analyzed measures to protect the western borders, as well as the progress of military-technical cooperation, clarified plans for joint exercises," he said at a press conference after talks with Lukashenko.

The Russian president also said that he informed Lukashenko in detail about the development of the special military operation in Donbas and the progress of the negotiation process on this topic.

According to him, it became possible to start a direct dialogue with the Ukrainian side largely due to the personal efforts of the Belarusian president. "We believe that the Belarusian platform is quite suitable for further contacts," he added.