Belarusian government must avoid violence and start national dialogue, Merkel says

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about the situation in Belarus and made clear that the Belarusian government must avoid using force against peaceful protesters, her spokesman said.

“The chancellor stressed that the Belarusian government must avoid violence towards peaceful demonstrators, immediately release political prisoners and start a national dialogue with the opposition and society in order to overcome the crisis,” Steffen Seibert said in a statement.