MINSK, Belarus (AP) — In more than two decades in power, the autocratic leader of Belarus has cast his nation as Moscow’s closest ally, securing tens of billions of dollars in Russian subsidies.
When Belarus balked last year at the price Russia charged for its natural gas, accumulating a $550 million debt, Moscow hit Minsk in its softest spot by sharply cutting oil supplies.
Since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus had used cheap Russian crude for products that accounted for more than a third of its export revenues.
Russia has banned some agricultural imports from Belarus, accusing it of becoming …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
