The Belarusian authorities appealed to Ukraine for cheap oil
After Minsk and Moscow failed to agree on the supply and transit of oil, the government of Belarus works out a scheme of alternative supplies of hydrocarbons, said first Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Steep. According to him, we study all possible options.
"We have sent relevant offers. All commercial services of our factories, the Belarusian oil company are in negotiations almost on a daily basis. I think we will soon get a alternative delivery options specific oil," said Steep journalists in Minsk. – "All possible countries-Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan. We are now engaged on this issue".
the Belarusian Authorities consider it inappropriate to continue to pay Russian companies for the imported oil.
"some new aspects of the negotiations with the Russian Federation we have today. We continue to take the position that in the conditions of implementation of the tax maneuver and the annual increase in the cost of oil for Belarus by reducing customs duties to pay a premium to Russian oil companies at the rate in which we agreed to do in 2011, today makes no sense. It's just not economically feasible," - said Dmitry Steep.
31 December President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed the government in the coming days to ensure the procurement of oil outside of Russia, using, in particular, the supply by rail from the Baltic ports. The contract between Russia and Belarus on oil supplies expired on 1 January. The parties did not manage to negotiate a new agreement, the main reason was a dispute about the price of oil.
January 3, Russia suspended supplies to Belarus, but January 4, Minsk announced that Russian oil began to arrive in the country. Belneftekhim said that the agreed pumping the first batch of fuel purchased at a price without premium. According to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Russia imposes excessive demands, offering Minsk to buy oil at a cost exceeding the global average.