Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday.

Russia's transition to trade with other countries in rubles, including with Belarus, has strengthened the rubles, Putin told Lukashenko, according to TASS news agency. Russia's economy is withstanding sanctions, despite all the difficulties, he said.

Lukashenko said the West's decisions to slap sanctions on Russia and Belarus hit themselves, according to RIA news agency. He expressed concerns that the West is "taking steps to dismember Ukraine."