Contents tagged with Belarus
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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 …
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Kyiv: Belarussian coal exported to Ukraine was not from Donbas mines
Minister of Energy and the Coal Industry of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk told journalists on Tuesday that he is convinced that the anthracite coal that Ukraine imported from Belarus in 2018 was not extracted from the mines located in the territories Donetsk and Luhansk regions which are not under Kyiv’s control.
On February 21, Belstat news agency reported that the export of hard coal from Belarus to Ukraine grew by 980 times in 2018 while anthracite grew 340 times. Belarus does not have its own …
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European Union extends weapons embargo against Belarus
The EU has extended its arms embargo against Belarus and sanctions against four people for a year, as reported on the EU Council’s website.
“The Council decided to prolong the restrictive measures against Belarus for one year, until 28 February 2020. These measures include an embargo on arms and on equipment that could be used for internal repression as well as an asset freeze and travel ban against four people designated in connection with the unresolved disappearances of two opposition …
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President of Belarus threatens joint response with Russia if the USA deploys missiles in Europe
Belarus may employ reciprocal measures together with Russia if the USA deploys missiles in Europe in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty or INF, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated, BelTA reports.
“I am afraid that the Americans will grab the fleeting opportunity to deploy the missiles in Europe after breaking the treaty. If they do, things will turn nasty for us. And together with Russia we will have to think about reciprocal measures. It is unavoidable if …
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Media: Ukraine started purchasing Russian coal through Belarus
Russian coal companies had to resort to indirect supplies of coal to Ukraine through Belarus because of trade restrictions imposed by Russia, RBC news agency reports, citing sources in the coal companies.
“We cannot supply them directly. Quotas prevent us from doing so,” one of the interlocutors stated.
According to one of RBC’s sources, Russian companies used to export coal to Ukraine under the guise of export to Europe. Raw materials were delivered to Ukrainian ports ostensibly for export, …