Contents tagged with Belarus
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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,” …
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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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Russian Ambassador to Minsk admonished for disrespecting government of Belarus
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has reprimanded Russian Ambassador to Minsk Mikhail Babich and advised him to show more respect for the host country and its sovereignty.
“During his short time of working in Belarus he has simply failed to understand the differences between a federal district and an independent state,” said the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, commenting on Babich’s interview for RIA Novosti, in which he said that Minsk’s financial support from the Kremlin will only continue if …
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President of Belarus warns Ukraine against deploying NATO missiles in its territory
President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at the press conference in Minsk, advised Ukraine not to think about deploying medium and short-range missiles on its territory after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) between the United States and Russia.
“Now they began to disseminate the idea of medium and short-range missiles in Ukraine. Let alone that the Poles are begging:let us have them [the missiles]. It is obvious that Romania and Poland have installations …
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Belarus asks Russia for loan to repay $600 million debt
Minsk has asked Moscow for a loan to refinance the debt of $600 million, said Maxim Yermolovich, Minister of Finance of Belarus, BelTA reported.
“We have been discussing the possibility of refinancing the entire amount of the payments on Russian government loans in 2019. The amount of these payments is $600 million,” he said.
According to the minister, the implementation of these plans depends on the decision of the Russian government to approve the loan. Yermolovich added that the funds for …