The media reported the answer of Moscow to strengthen the relations of Minsk with the West

Russia reduced oil supplies to Belarus due to Minsk’s attempt to strengthen relations with Western countries and critics of the Russian authorities. This was reported to Reuters by a senior source in the Russian energy sector.

According to him, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "is punished for a U -turn to the West and critical statements to Russia."

Since the beginning of July, Transneft has reduced oil supplies by 40% compared to the II quarter. In this regard, Minsk is trying to buy oil in other markets, but the price of raw materials will be much higher than the Russian, given the discount provided by Moscow.

According to the representative of Transneft Igor Demin, the decrease in the volume of deliveries was planned. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that Russia reduces oil supplies due to underpayment for gas supply. The Reuters source, close to the Belarusian authorities, called a similar explanation a “surprise” for Minsk.

On June 28, Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak said that Moscow and Minsk were continuing consultations on the gas issue. His Belarusian colleague Vladimir Poddchik stated that he considers a fair price of $ 73 per thousand cubic meters of gas, while Novak insisted at the current price of $ 132.

According to Reuters, subsidies for the supply of Russian raw materials reach $ 3 billion per year, which is about a third of the budget revenues of Belarus. In addition, oil products made from Russian oil make up a fifth of exports.