Putin tells Belarusian leader Lukashenko Russia ready to help militarily if necessary
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in a phone call on Sunday that Moscow stood ready to provide help in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said in the same statement that external pressure was being applied to Belarus. It did not say by who.
Belarus has been rocked by a week of street protests after protesters accused Lukashenko of rigging a presidential election last Sunday.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
