Kremlin stops giving oil, gas in exchange for kisses – Belarusian political analyst
On Wednesday’s meeting in Nur-Sultan, Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandr Lukashenka discussed the prospects of further integration within the Union State.
According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the leaders instructed the governments to develop integration measures by the end of June.
Belsat TV asked Belarusian political analyst Alyaksandr Klaskouski to comment on the current process of integration.
“Moscow has stopped providing Belarus with oil and gas ‘in exchange for kisses’, as it was in the days of the ‘fraternal integration’. It is over, and now we are facing cold reality. Despite the fact that Lukashenka seemed to be a good mood, he did not tackle the major issues in Nur-Sultan, and his meeting with Putin was very short and inessential.
Six months have passed since the so-called ultimatum of Medvedev was voiced in Brest. If translated into ordinary language, it means ‘give consent to further integration, i.e. soft incorporation or you will not be subsidized anymore. And since then, everything has been developing following the ultimatum. The Belarusian side keeps pushing back, they are against going further, because this advanced integration will put an end to Lukashenka’s power. And that’s all. One should not say about patriotism or independence; of course, that he will go down swinging. The question is how many resources he has for resistance,” the expert said.
The topic of integration and the creation of a union state under the 1999 treaty was widely discussed after the statement by Dmitry Medvedev in December last year in Brest.
“I want to emphasize: Russia is ready to continue to move along the path of building the Union State, including the creation of a single emission center, a single customs, court, and a chamber of accounts in the manner prescribed by the agreement on the creation of the Union State of December 8, 1999,” said Medvedev during the Union Council of Ministers in the Belarusian city.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka became outraged by the statement. “I no longer say a brotherly state, because, as they report to me, in Russia this is not perceived as such. Apparently, new people came [to power] for whom this concept is unacceptable. Well, then we will be partners,” he said.
At the end of 2018, the Belarusian-Russian relations significantly deteriorated. In late December. there were some meetings of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader pressed for ‘further integration’ while his Belarusian counterpart insisted on reducing gas prices and getting compensation for the tax maneuver. The talks seem to have ended in deadlock.
In mid February, Lukashenka spent three days in Sochi where he repeatedly met with Vladimir Putin. They were reported to be discussing some of the most pressing issues, but no breakthrough was made.
On April, 2 Belarus and Russia celebrated the Day of Unity. This year, the Minsk authorities turned down pro-Russian organizations’s application for authorizing a picket on the occasion.
Belsat.eu
