Belarus, Russia Resume Gas Talks
Russia's Gazprom said on November 11 it had resumed talks with Belarus on gas supplies from January 1. The move comes after Belarus fully paid off its debt for past supplies using $330mn of a loan from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilisation and Development (EFSD).
Belarus and Russia have been in near constant disagreement over gas prices for years now. Under a previous compromise, Gazprom has charged Belarus $127/'000 m3 for gas since the start of 2019. But Minsk later demanded a discount and did not pay the full amount, racking up a debt.
That Belarus paid off the debt suggests it dropped its demand for a price cut. Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has had to reach out to Moscow for political support amid ongoing mass protests against his rule, which began after he suspiciously cruised to victory in the August presidential election.