OREANDA-NEWS. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in Belarus by phone.

“The Chancellor stressed that the Belarusian government should refrain from using violence against peaceful demonstrators, immediately release political prisoners and enter into a national dialogue with the opposition and society to overcome the crisis,” spokesman for the cabinet of ministers of Germany, Steffen Seibert, is quoted on the government website.

The Kremlin noted that the conversation took place on the initiative of the German side. “The situation in Belarus after the presidential elections was thoroughly considered. The Russian side emphasized the unacceptability of any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the republic from outside, leading to a further escalation of the crisis. The hope was expressed for the soonest normalization of the situation,” the statement published on the website of the Russian President says.