Putin and Lukashenko talk gas prices and Western sanctions during fourth meeting of 2021

On Tuesday, July 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (Alyaksandr Lukashenka) for the fourth time this year.

The meeting took place at the National Congress Palace (Constantine Palace) on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. The meeting lasted five hours and 20 minutes, according to the Telegram channel Pul Pervogo, which is linked to the Belarusian authorities.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two sides agreed that in 2022, Russia will sell gas to Belarus at 2021 prices, without indexation. In addition, Putin and Lukashenko “agreed on the amount of credit support in connection with a tax maneuver” in the Russian oil industry, Peskov said, without offering further details. 

The two leaders also touched on the topic of Western sanctions against Belarus and “took steps” regarding work in the areas of customs, tax regulation, and energy. They also “exchanged detailed views on the international situation and regional problems,” Putin’s spokesman said.

A partial transcript of the meeting is available on the Kremlin’s website. 

This is the fourth in-person meeting between Putin and Lukashenko since the start of the year. The first meeting took place in Sochi in February, the second was in Moscow in April, and the third meeting took place in Sochi in May.