Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) meets with his Belarussian counterpart Sergei Martynov (L)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) meets with his Belarussian counterpart Sergei Martynov (L) in Moscow on June 9, 2009. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko is steering his country toward closer ties with the West, but Russia still has powerful cards to play in keeping Belarus within its orbit, analysts say.

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