Talks between the Russian and Belarussian presidents in Sochi Saturday over plans for closer integration of the two countries appeared to end in a stalemate.

Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko were locked in negotiations for more than five hours at the Black Sea resort Saturday, the Kremlin confirmed — although the pair managed only to strike an agreement to meet for further talks in two weeks in St. Petersburg.

The pair were discussing plans to advance the integration pact between Russia and Belarus. Dozens of activists took to the streets in Belarus’ capital Minsk yesterday to highlight their opposition to a new deal, which they fear could see Belarus, with its population of nine million compared to Russia’s 145 million, swallowed up.

Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of the creation of the so-called Union State between Russia and Belarus, which envisaged a free travel area without border checks, akin to Europe’s Schengen Zone, customs-free trade between the two, a joint currency, military cooperation and a host of new joint political bodies and institutions. Only some of these goals have been reached, with the free travel area between Russia and Belarus the most visible achievement.