“I told Putin directly” - Lukashenko declared a “real” trade war on Russia
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said today once again that he does not want his country to join the Union State with Russia.
He said this at a meeting with workers at the Newsprint Factory in Shklov, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We cannot be part of any country. I cannot betray you and dissolve Belarus, even in our fraternal Russia. Even if I agree to this, the Belarusians will eat me within one year after making such a decision. I don’t want to be the last president of Belarus,” Lukashenko is quoted as saying by his official website.
He expressed the hope that Russia, as “the main ally, will come to its senses and return to normal relations.” And he immediately reproached the Russian Federation for closing its food market to Belarus.
“Moreover, brazenly, shamelessly, without reason. To bend, to humiliate. We don't answer that. But we can answer. There was a time when they started torpedoing us. We started checking their cars near Smolensk. And a queue lined up along the railway and road transport to the Kremlin. Then they saw that they couldn’t do this,” Lukashenko threatened.
He again repeated his thesis that Russia is offering Belarus to buy oil “at prices above world prices,” although in fact now the price of Russian oil for its ally is 83% of the market price. True, Lukashenko laid the blame for this on the government, “which Putin dismissed.” He accused Medvedva’s cabinet of the fact that the Russian government specifically introduced a tax maneuver in order to “put pressure on Belarus.”
“We once received oil, five or six years ago, with half the customs duty. But they made a maneuver. And when we began to look into it, the people who prepared these regulations, laws, decrees, and government resolutions directly reported to me that this was done on purpose. To put pressure on Belarus.
Why press, guess three times. There are both political and economic components here. But more politics. This is my question. We'll figure it out. But we will not kneel before anyone,” Lukashenko said.
At the same time, he continues to insist that Russia supplies gas to Belarus at domestic prices.
“As for gas, they cheated us - they didn’t bring us to equal prices. As for oil: pay more than they sell to the Poles and Germans. Where have you seen this? – the Head of State was indignant.
In order not to “be on your knees and beg for these oil products” every year, Belarus will purchase oil from other countries.
Lukashenko again threatened to use the Druzhba oil pipeline in reverse mode and added that his words are not a bluff, since he is ready for a real, uncompromising confrontation with Russia.
“I told Putin directly: at the first stage, if we agree with the Poles, we will supply in reverse through one of the three pipes. This is not a bluff, it is not that, as they say, Lukashenko is raising the stakes before the negotiations. No bets. I have excellent relations with the Americans, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates. They say we will supply as much oil as needed. Of course, this is the world price. But the quality of oil there is better,” Lukashenko said.
"I told Putin straight out " – Lukashenko declared a "real" trade war on Russia