Russia, Belarus Fail to Agree on Gas Price for Minsk

Moscow and Minsk have not reached an agreement on the price of Russian gas supplies to Belarus, Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov said Wednesday.

MINSK (Sputnik) — Russian and Belarus seek to settle the issue of outstanding payments for Russian gas deliveries, as well as the reduction of gas prices from $142 per 1,000 cubic meters to about $73, as requested by Belarus.

"We have discussed the matter and we will continue the discussions. We did not reach concrete decisions, but there are routes for continuing dialogue," Kobyakov told reporters after the close of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

Last month, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Minsk owed Moscow more than $125 million for gas deliveries in January-April. Minsk refused to recognize the debt, saying that Belarus paid in line with the intergovernmental agreement.

Belarus has also been seeking to reduce the price for gas purchased by Minsk from Moscow from $142 per 1,000 cubic meters to about $73. In late May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Semashko held negotiations on gas prices, but failed to reach a conclusive decision on the issue.