There are no plans to revise the price of gas supplies to Belarus for 2020, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with Interfax. Earlier Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested changing the gas price in the context of the pandemic.
Commenting on the situation with gas prices for Belarus, Novak said:
“We proceed from the fact that early this year we reached agreements on gas prices for Belarusian consumers valid until the end of 2020”.
“And this price is fixed in the corresponding protocol between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and Gazprom, as well as contracts between business entities, there’s no revision there either. Our companies interact in accordance with the signed documents — the price is $ 127 per thousand cubic meters,” he added.
On April 14, during the talks of the EAEC leaders in the format of a video conference, Alyaksandr Lukashenka urged to adapt the gas price to changes in the economic situation resulting from the pandemic. “It is obvious that with such a sharp change in the economic situation, the price should be more adaptive, while the mechanism of calculations — acceptable for consumers,” said Lukashenka. In this regard, he appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to promptly consider this issue.
Now Belarus receives Russian gas at a price of $ 127 per thousand cubic meters. Since late 2018, Lukashenka demanded a discount on gas from Russia to the level of Smolensk region, but the Kremlin said that Belarus couldn’t count on it without addressing the issues of union construction.
