You're reading: Belarus will surmount Western sanctions, says Putin

Moscow, August 15 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is confident that Belarus will manage to overcome Western sanctions.

"Belarus is going through a difficult economic period, which is due in part to the aftermath of the global financial crisis. This should be remembered. But Belarus will surmount these difficulties and turbulent processes. I have no doubt that it will," Putin told reporters in Moscow, when asked by a Belarusian journalist to comment on Western sanctions against his country.

"I don’t think that the sanctions are expedient," he said.

"All that we have been doing within the integration framework will no doubt support the Belarusian economy," Putin said.