Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko yesterday agreed to a comprehensive deal on energy and debt that will put a lid on talk of Belarus’s Westward drift. Reuters:
At a meeting in St Petersburg, held while the Russian city was reeling from a deadly bombing on a metro train, Russia agreed to refinance Belarus’ debt while Belarus will pay back more than $720 million in arrears for gas supplies.According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Russia will also renew oil supplies to Belarus of 24 million tonnes a year and Russia’s Gazprom will give Belarus discounts on gas supplies in 2018 …read more
Source: The American Interest
