English

Lukashenka denies economic reasons behind gas row with Russia

There are no economic reasons for the current gas dispute between Belarus and Russia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in an interview with Euronews on June 24, BelaPAN reports.

The Belarusian leader stressed that Gazprom had told Belarus to settle its $187-million debt while owing $260 million to the country at the same time.

Minsk asked Gazprom for a two-week delay on repaying the debt "but our allies, who are the closest people to us, said, 'No, we won't wait for a single day'," the presidential press office quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying in the interview.

The Belarusian leader reportedly accused Russian media outlets of providing "one-sided and biased coverage" of the gas dispute and never mentioning Gazprom's debt.

Mr. Lukashenka also spoke about whether the gas dispute could be a means of Russia's pressure on Belarus and outlined his vision of prospects for the country's relations with the European Union.

In addition, he was interviewed about his plans to stand for reelection in the coming presidential vote.

The interview will be broadcast by Euronews on the evening of June 25. The full version of the interview will be aired by First National Television Channel on the same day.