Ex-Soviet Ukraine and Georgia – both dealing with the occupation of large tracts of territory by Russia or its proxies – likely came away disappointed if they had expected the summit to bring clarity to their strategic issues.

The central bank said it was ready to raise the rate in the future if a more significant increase in inflationary pressures.

The IMF agreed a $5 billion standby arrangement with Kyiv a year ago and quickly disbursed $2.1 billion, but subsequent tranches have been withheld.

It was clear during the six-week onslaught by Baku last year that Moscow was no longer unilaterally calling the shots. And it demonstrated how NATO member Ankara’s 25-year effort to help Azerbaijan build its army from the ground up effectively was successful.

Some journalists walked out of the news conference staged by Belarus’s Foreign Ministry.