Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Lukashenko: Belarus negotiating oil supplies from the US

    The search for alternative oil supplies is "not a bluff" and not a way to raise the stakes before negotiations with Russia, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, as quoted by BelTA.

    According to Lukashenko, in a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he outlined a picture of how Belarus will act if the Russian side does not change its position. The Belarusian leader listed options for alternative oil supply to the country. According to him, it is the supply of Norwegian …

  • Belarus to cut back Russian oil imports by half

    Belarus will be reducing its imports of Russian oil by a factor of 2-3, said President Alexander Lukashenko.

    Although there are no 100% alternatives to Russia’s supply at present, Belarusian refineries need to diversify their sources of crude oil, Lukashenko emphasized during a meeting on refinery growth on Tuesday.

    “We need to move towards buying 30-40% of our oil from Russia. 30% we should bring in from the Baltics and 30% through Ukraine – an already tested route,” the Belarusian state …

  • Lukashenko: Belarus to buy 30% of its oil through Ukraine

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus plans to buy 30% of its oil through Ukraine. He made this statement during a meeting about improving the efficiency of oil product exports, BelTA reports.

    “There is currently no alternative for the full amount of Russian oil deliveries. But, as we have agreed, we need to diversify. We need to move towards buying 30-40% of our oil from Russia. 30% we should bring in from the Baltics and 30% through Ukraine – an already tested route. It …

  • Belarus finds alternative to Russian oil

    The Belarusian Oil Company (BNK) has purchased 80,000 tons of oil from Norway, BelTA reports, citing the press service of Belneftekhim, the Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry.

    “The Belarusian Oil Company has purchased a batch of Norwegian oil. We’re talking about 80,000 tons. It is intended for refining at Naftan,” stated the press service, as cited by BelTA.

    Naftan is one of the two Belarusian oil refineries situated in the Vitebsk region. It is used to refine oil from Russia, …

  • Belarus reduces by half Russian oil transit to Europe

    Belarus has sharply cut back on its transit of Russian oil to Europe in the wake of disagreements with Moscow regarding the tariffs for transit through the Druzhba pipeline, and several Russian oil companies’ decision to halt deliveries to Belarusian refineries, reports finanz.ru.

    As of January 14, the transit volume through the Druzhba pipeline towards Poland has been halved to 70,000 tons per day, GomelTransNeft, the Belarusian pipeline operator, told Interfax.

    “Between January 14 and 17 …

  • Belarus seeks alternative to Russian oil

    Belarus has sent offers to purchase oil to enterprises in Ukraine, Poland, the Baltics, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, said Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Krutoy, as cited by Belta. According to him, the commercial services of the Belarusian Oil Company’s plants are involved in daily negotiations regarding possible oil deliveries.

    Latvia has already said that it is willing to participate in reverse oil deliveries to Belarus, said Latvian Ambassador to Minsk Einars Semanis ahead of a …

  • Russian-Belarusian oil transit negotiations end with no results

    Russian and Belarusian representatives were unable to reach an agreement regarding oil transit tariffs for 2020 during their negotiations in Minsk on Monday.

    Citing a source familiar with the proceedings, BelTA reports that Belarus demanded a tariff increase, citing the oil contamination incident last year, which caused downtime on the Druzhba pipeline and damage to the equipment of Belarusian oil refineries.

    The parties are currently discussing a 16.6% tariff hike, a source told Interfax. …

  • Belarusian President Lukashenko displeased by Gazprom’s gas price hike

    At an awards ceremony yesterday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that the situation surrounding the price of Russian gas, in which Russia’s Gazprom earns “three times as much” from supplying fuel to Belarus as to Germany, is abnormal.

    Commenting on the gas price negotiations, Lukashenko accused the Russian concern of earning three times as much in Belarus as in Germany. “Is this normal? It’s abnormal,” BelTA cites the president as saying.

    The parties have currently agreed to …

  • Lukashenko decides to pay for Russian gas using Belarusian rubles

    Belarus is aiming to stop paying for Russian gas in US dollars and start using Belarusian rubles in its contracts with Gazprom.

    This goal was included in the “Strategy for increasing faith in the national currency until 2035” which was compiled by the Belarusian government and National Bank and approved on January 3.

    The Belarusian ruble, introduced in 1994, has suffered from chronic devaluation and at present has “completely stopped fulfilling the function of money”. As much as 60% of the …

  • Belarus resumes oil deliveries from Russia

    Deliveries of oil from Russia to Belarus’s Naftan oil refinery in the Vitebsk Region resumed on the evening of January 4, said Vladimir Sizov, deputy head of the Belarusian state oil concern Belneftekhim, as cited by BelTA.

    According to him, the pumping units were switched on at 17:05. “Oil deliveries towards Naftan have begun. As routing instructions are issued, quantities will be added and will be delivered even to the Mozyr refinery,” Sizov added.

    News that oil deliveries to Belarus had …