President of Republic of Belarus : Report of Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko

Reduced oil supplies from Russia should be made up for by alternative shipments, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko to hear out his report on 20 January.

'We have agreed that in the coming days you will brief me on the situation in the country's oil and gas sector, especially in the light of Russia's recent steps. What state of affairs we have, taking into account our agreements signed earlier? We hide nothing from people. I do not believe we need to hide anything. We do not have an emergency situation, but the reductions in oil supplies from Russia should be compensated by alternative options,' the head of state said.

He noted that these issues were discussed in the end of the previous year. 'We have not just discussed alternatives. We have already tested them, importing oil for our oil refineries from the Black and MediterraneanSeas to see in practice how it works economically,' the President said.

'I would like to hear from you what situation we have in the area, how the negotiations with Russia proceed, and what our next steps will be. I would also like to hear some data on oil production in Belarus,' the head of state added.