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Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted a $1.5bn (£1.2bn) loan to Belarus, in face-to-face talks with the embattled Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, at a Black Sea resort, BBC reported.

The meeting in Sochi was their first since anti-Lukashenko protests escalated in Belarus last month.

Mr Lukashenko's 9 August re-election has been widely disputed.
Mr Putin said "we want Belarusians themselves... to sort out this situation calmly and through dialogue".

Belarusians should "find a common solution", he said.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she regretted Mr Putin's "dialogue with a dictator".

The Russian president recognises Mr Lukashenko as the legitimate leader of Belarus, but for five Sundays running at least 100,000 people have protested in the capital Minsk over what was widely seen as a rigged election.
Mr Putin says he has a Russian police force ready to intervene if the protests get out of control. And in Sochi he reiterated the importance of defence co-operation with Belarus.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said oil and gas co-operation, state debts and other economic ties in the Belarus-Russia "union state" would be discussed in the meeting between the two leaders, but no joint documents would be signed.
In Sochi, he thanked Mr Putin and all Russians "who were involved in supporting us during this post-election time".

The meeting came as a joint military exercise was starting near the western Belarusian city of Brest, the source added.