Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Belarusian oil refinery blames Russian oil for the equipment damage

    The representatives of the Mozyr Oil Refinery in Belarus stated that poor-quality Russian oil led to the breakdown of expensive equipment, informs BelTA.

    “The poor quality of the processed raw materials affected the work of the equipment,” told representatives of the refinery. They clarified that the company processes Urals oil with high chloroorganic content and high corrosive activity.

    On April 19, the Belneftekhim corporation reported a deterioration of the oil quality coming from Russia . …

  • Belarus limits export of petroleum products from Russia

    Belarus will temporarily limit deliveries of petroleum products for export due to the quality of Russian oil, said Deputy Chairman of the Belneftekhim concern Vladimir Sizov after an operational meeting of personnel monitoring the supply of oil, BelTA reported.

    It was explained that the need to limit exports comes from “the active risk of processing raw materials with degraded quality” and carrying out the planting season in Belarus. Sizov noted that deliveries will resume after the “the …

  • Belarus to demand compensation from Russian Transneft for low-quality oil

    Belarusian Concern Belneftekhim will demand compensation from Russian company Transneft for a low-quality oil delivery, said the Concern’s chairman Andrei Rybakou, reports BelTA.

    “All possible consequences will be discussed with Transneft at the upcoming meeting. The Belarusian side will insist on working out compensation mechanisms,” Rybakou said. “The oil must be replaced with a quality product that does not contain more than the permissible concentration of organochlorine. We are working on …

  • Belarus accuses Russian ambassador of destroying relations during last several months

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus commented on the Russian Ambassador Mikhail Babich’s statements, who objected to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko with regards to the cost of building the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

    External forces have previously tried to “destroy the close and friendly relations between two brotherly nations,” told reporters Anatoly Glaz, the head of the department of information and digital diplomacy of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. The …

  • Lukashenko threatens to limit Russian oil transit to Europe

    Russia-Belarus relations are being stretched to their limits. In response to the Russian phytosanitary regulatory authority’s recent decision to ban the import of Belarusian apples and pears, Minsk has now threatened to target Russia’s oil transit to Europe.

    Russia “has already grown so brazen that it has started to force our hand,” said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday.

    He added that, if needed, Belarus is prepared to close the oil pipelines for repair, even if this …

  • Russia declares trade war on Belarus

    Tensions between Russia and Belarus are heating up in the wake of a tax maneuver by Moscow that deprived Minsk of millions in oil resale profits. The situation has been further aggravated by  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s refusal to allow Russia to deploy a military airbase in the country, refusal to transition to the Russian ruble, and apparent refusal to let his country become part of Russia, which would have enabled Vladimir Putin to remain in power after 2024.

    In response to …

  • President of Belarus Lukashenko predicts Poroshenko's victory in Ukrainian elections

    In an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who correctly predicted the winners of the first round of presidential elections in Ukraine, said that he believes that Petro Poroshenko will win in the second round of voting.

     “After the first round of voting, Zelensky came out in the lead with Poroshenko lagging behind. No one can predict how the second round will end. I am still inclined to think that Poroshenko will win this presidential election,” …

  • Belarus decides to raise tariff for Russian oil transit by a quarter

    Belarus has notified the Russian company Transneft about its plans to raise oil transit tariffs by 23%, reports the RBC news agency with reference to Transneft’s President Nikolay Tokarev.

    According to Tokarev, the proposal to increase the tariff for transporting oil via the Druzhba pipeline is a standard procedure.

    “We have a methodology, a tariff is being agreed, and now the government will have a platform for negotiations,” said Tokarev. “23% increase is Minsk’s negotiation position and is …

  • Putin decides to lend Belarus $600 million

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to grant Minsk a $600 million government loan, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters on Monday. The funds will be used to refinance the repayment of prior loans issued by Moscow.

    Siluanov also noted that, by the end of April, Belarus may also receive a $200 million tranche from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD).

    According to the finance minister, the countries are currently discussing the procedures …

  • Russian media representatives were not allowed to enter Ukrainian polling station in Minsk

    Russian media representatives were not allowed to enter the polling station in Minsk for the election of the president of Ukraine. They could only take pictures behind the fence of the embassy. According to the Radio Svoboda correspondent, this was the election commission’s decision. Russian agencies TASS, RIA-Novosti, the TV channels Ren-TV and NTV correspondents were filming and interviewing Ukrainian citizens only outside on the street.

    On the other hand, representatives of Belarusian, …