Contents tagged with Belarus
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Ukrainian foreign minister predicts war between Russia and Belarus, warns Belarus not to expect help from the West
Russia and Belarus could end up at war with each other, because Moscow cannot let Minsk pursue an independent policy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told the Czech newspaper Respekt in an interview.
“A few years ago I spoke to a few Belarusian journalists, and when I told them officially that if they want to remain independent, they will face the same war, the same difficulties and the same suffering as us, they did not believe me. Perhaps now they doubt less,” said Prystaiko.
“Of …
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Lukashenko refuses to ‘kneel before Putin every New Year’s Eve’
Belarus will continue to diversify oil purchases from other countries even if it costs more than buying Russian oil, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the staff of the Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Plant.
The Belarusian President explained that he was ready to pay more "so that, every year on December 31, not to kneel" before Putin.
"It shouldn't be like this, and it won't be," he said.
The Belarusian president also spoke about the pressure of Putin, who wants the …
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Belarus to buy Russian oil at global market prices
First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Dmitry Krutoy, commenting on the talks held in Sochi on February 7, said that the Belarusian oil refineries will buy oil from Russia at global market prices.
"If we talk about the agreement on oil, the oil market, the Russian side agreed that Belarusian refineries will buy oil under agreement with Russian oil companies at prices that are set on the global market," said Krutoy as cited by Belta news agency.
Minsk intends to continue working with all …
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Lukashenko: Belarus to repay Russia $1 billion per year on old loans
Belarus will pay Russia $1 billion per year for previous loans and will not ask for “any money at all”, and proposes “honest, transparent and sincere” bilateral cooperation, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, as cited by BelTA.
The US pays Russia “1.5% for keeping their foreign currency there” but Belarus pays 4-6%, Lukashenko explained: “This just couldn’t make us happier – paying Russia $1 billion per year. They’ve invested their money successfully.”
The president remarked that …
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Number of Belarusian supporters of union with Russia down by a third
The number of Belarusian citizens who support the idea of a union state with Russia has declined by 20 percentage points in the last year, Kommersant reports, citing the results of a sociological study by Andrey Vardomatsky’s Belarusian Analytical Workshop.
While at the start of 2019, more than 60% of Belarusians advocated a union with Russia, by December this figure had dropped to nearly 40%.
At the same time, sociologists have been observing a growth in the number of supporters of Belarus …
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Belarus hikes tariff on Russian oil transit by 6.6%
The Belarusian Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) has decided to hike the tariff on the transit of Russian oil through the country by 6.6%, the department announced on its website.
The tariff increase is calculated according to a special formula. “The tariff hike amount has been determined… as the average annual consumer price index established by parameters of Russia’s predicted socio-economic growth in 2020, amounting to 3.6%, plus three percentage points,” the ministry …
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US Secretary of State offers to cover 100% of Belarus’ oil and gas needs
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that the United States is willing and able to provide Belarus with 100% of its oil and gas.
Pompeo is the first secretary of state to visit Belarus in 26 years and arrived in Minsk amid new tensions between Minsk and Moscow over energy. In a meeting with authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, Pompeo said he hoped to help provide an opportunity for Belarus to achieve the "sovereignty" and "independence" it seeks.
"The United States …
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Belarus: U.S. should be more actively involved in resolving the conflict in Donbas
Belarus supports any formats of negotiations to resolve the conflict in the Donbass, including with the participation of the United States, said Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"As for Belarus' position on Ukraine, it is known to everyone. We are willing and ready to do everything to bring the crisis in eastern Ukraine to an end as soon as possible. We are ready to provide a platform for any meetings and negotiations in Belarus. We support any …
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Disappearance of Belarusian sugar mill directors linked to fraudulent deliveries to Russia
The disappearance of the directors of all four Belarusian sugar mills could be linked to fraudulent deliveries to Russia, Belarusian Prosecutor General Alexander Konyuk told the TV channel Belarus 4 Grodno in an interview.
This is the first official statement about the so-called “sugar case”. “I don’t want to announce some things now, the entire republic is talking about them at the moment. But what’s happened now is once again external accounts receivable. It’s the fraudulent schemes that are …
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Lukashenko: We need to overcome the problems Russia has dumped on us
In its planning for the next five years, the Belarusian government will have to deal with some serious challenges, said the republic’s president Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with the newly appointed officials of his administration. According to the president, several of the economic problems are linked to Russia.
“We will need to plan, and very seriously. Even this year, we have to work very seriously hard to overcome the negative effects in the economy, especially those linked to …