Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War
By The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gave his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a tractor as a gift for his 70th birthday. Lukashenko presented Putin with a gift certificate for the vehicle as the leaders of several ex-Soviet nations met at the Czarist-era Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg on Friday. In Serbia’s capital Belgrade, electronic billboards congratulated Putin on his birthday. The billboards feature Putin’s photo and read: “Happy birthday to President Vladimir Putin from the Serb brethren!” The posters are signed by a Pro-Russian right-wing group. Putin remains popular in Serbia despite the attack on Ukraine and many in the Balkan country believe that the Russian president was provoked by the West into launching the invasion.