The Kremlin on Wednesday sought to downplay the role of Belarus opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, saying President Vladimir Putin had no plans to meet with her. Tikhanovskaya, a 38-year-old political novice, has claimed victory over strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential election in August. She has taken shelter in EU member Lithuania after historic protests broke out over the disputed vote and she was forced out of the ex-Soviet country. She met French President Emmanuel Macron in Lithuania last week and flew to Germany for a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader had no plans to reach out to Tikhanovskaya. "No contacts are being planned," Peskov told reporters, casting doubt on Tikhanovskaya's role in her country's political life. "Madame Tikhanovskaya is not in Belarus. One can hardly say that she is somehow involved in Belarus's life," Peskov said. "She is meeting with various heads of state and government who consider Belarus's sitting president illegitimate," he added. Tikhanovskaya has sought to rally international pressure on the Minsk regime, as protests continue on the streets of Belarus. The United States and the EU have hit Belarus officials with sanctions, drawing an angry response from Minsk and its ally Moscow. Tikhanovskaya joined the political fray after her blogger husband was barred from registering as a presidential candidate and arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government. acl-osh/as/jj