Russian Firm May Cut Gas Supply to Belarus

Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled natural gas monopoly, said Wednesday it will cut off nearly half of its shipments to Belarus within two days, raising fears that the gas supply to many European countries could be disrupted.

The Russian company said that Belarus owes it $456 million but that it will keep the gas flowing if Belarus offers an acceptable settlement by Friday morning.
Gazprom’s move was the latest example of Russia’s strong-arm tactics in energy export disputes with its neighbors. In the European Union, which receives more than 20 percent of its Russian gas imports through Belarus, the announcement renewed concern about the Continent’s reliance on Gazprom.

“We take these developments very seriously,” said European Union spokesman Martin Selmayr, according to the Associated Press. He called on Russia and Belarus “to resolve the dispute without delay.”

Russia contends that its tactics are justified, saying it is merely moving toward a system of pricing gas at market levels, ending subsidies that originated in the Soviet era.

Washington Post