Russian diplomat: We warned Lukashenka

Granting a loan to Belarus to solve the country’s financial problems will be discussed at a meeting of the Anti-Crisis Fund of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) in Kyiv on June 4.

“It’s clear that Russia has power and influence to decide whether to give a loan to Belarus or not. At the moment, Alyaksandr Lukashenka needs $9 billion,” a Russian diplomatic source in Minsk told Interfax.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on visit to Minsk to attend a meeting of ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Lukashenka is expected to have a joint meeting with all foreign ministers of the SCTO member states. “There is no face-to-face meeting of Lukashenka and Lavrov on the agenda. A bilateral meeting is unlikely to happen. Especially taking into account Lukashenka’s recent critical remarks about the Russian minister,” the source said.

Earlier, the Belarusian president said he “laughed” at Lavrov’s criticism of human rights violations in Belarus.

The source also noted that if it is decided to grant a loan for the Belarusian economy, “the main part of money will be given by Russia, of course, while the rest EurAsEC members will be able to offer small sums”. “But this will be decided on the highest level,” he said.

The source noted that people of Belarus really faced financial problems: salaries fell, but prices went up.

“We warned Lukashenka: both PM Putin and Russian minister of finance Alexei Kudrin visited Belarus,” the source reminded.