Kremlin denies Putin to discuss Belarus merger

Russian President Vladimir Putin met the Belorussian leader tonight, starting a visit that was closely watched for signs the two ex-Soviet neighbours were advancing towards a long-discussed merger.

The creation of a single state could allow Mr Putin to become the leader of a combined Russia and Belarus after he steps down from the presidency next May.

The Kremlin moved to quash talk of such a possibility, denying that Putin’s talks with Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko and other officials in the Belorussian capital Minsk would touch upon a draft constitution that would describe the structure of a unified country’s government.

Mr Lukashenko’s office, however, said last week that the document would be part of the agenda. After his arrival tonight, Mr Putin dined privately with Mr Lukashenko.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin tries to speed up a union with Belarus... to become the president of the unified state,” Russian Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov said this week.

Mr Putin, who has indicated he will seek to retain significant influence after he leaves the Kremlin next year. Under the Russian constitution he is only allowed to serve two terms as president.

On Monday, he said he supported his protege Dmitry Medvedev to become Russia’s next president. Mr Medvedev instantly became the overwhelming favourite in the March 2 vote and he, in turn, asked Mr Putin on Tuesday to be his prime minister, though Mr Putin has not yet accepted.

The creation of a single state could give Mr Putin an alternative to the Russian prime minister’s post, potentially creating a job that would place him above national presidents.

A merger of the two predominantly Slavic, Russian Orthodox countries would be the first of any two ex-Soviet republics since the Soviet Union split apart in 1991, and would make many Russians proud. But it would deepen Western concerns about an increasingly assertive Russia.