Belarus leader visits Putin to secure support amid protests

MOSCOW (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian president is visiting Russia in a bid to secure more loans and political support as demonstrations against the extension of his 26-year rule enter their sixth week. President Alexander Lukashenko’s talks Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi come a day after an estimated 150,000 people flooded the streets of the Belarusian capital, demanding Lukashenko’s resignation. Protesters in Belarus have dismissed Lukashenko’s reelection for a sixth term in the Aug. 9 vote as rigged. The Interior Ministry said 774 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities Sunday for holding unsanctioned rallies. Putin said that Russia would provide a $1.5 billion loan to Belarus and fulfill all its obligations under a union treaty.