Belarus leader seeks Russian support amid showdown with EU

MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met in Sochi with his Belarusian counterpart for talks on forging closer ties amid Minsk’s bruising showdown with the European Union over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest a dissident journalist.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko finds himself increasingly isolated after flight controllers told the crew of a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk on Sunday because of a bomb threat.

No bomb was found, but journalist Raman Pratasevich was arrested.

EU leaders have called it air piracy and have barred Belarus’ airlines from the bloc’s airspace and airports.

The dispute has pushed Lukashenko, who has relentlessly stifled dissent, even closer to Moscow.

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