MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – The trade between Belarus and Russia has increased more than eightfold over the past three decades, Belarus’ Deputy Economy Minister Alesya Abramenko said on the air of the Economic Environment program on the 1 Belarus TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
“We are building close bilateral cooperation, and the figures confirm this: trade has grown over eightfold. If in 1996 it amounted to only $6.5 billion, in 2025 it reached almost $55 billion. Trade in services has grown 2.3 times over 20 years,” Alesya Abramenko noted, emphasizing that the countries are confidently moving along the path of mutually beneficial economic integration.
Since 2021, cooperation has become more structured, with the countries shifting to three-year planning. These measures have deepened ties in key sectors of the economy. In industry, mutual recognition of technological operations has been achieved. Belarusian manufacturers have gained access to Russian national projects in production equipment, transport, and other areas.
The parties are currently working within the main areas of implementation of the Union State Treaty for 2024-2026. Around 50% of the planned measures have been completed, with the rest underway. Each sector has defined tasks. The countries are implementing 26 cooperative import-substitution investment projects, two of which have already been completed: in forest machinery production and hydraulic pump equipment. A roadmap for machine-tool building has been developed.
“We are now working on the draft of the main directions for the next three-year period. This includes a number of standardization measures. The Union State Committee on Standardization and Quality has been established to address technical regulation issues for Union State goods,” Alesya Abramenko said.
Among new areas of cooperation, she mentioned work with Russian state corporations Rosatom and Rostec, including projects involving unmanned dump trucks and hydrogen‑powered machinery. “The key goal is to preserve technological sovereignty and ensure import substitution,” the deputy minister added.
In the energy sector, a law has been signed to ratify the treaty on the formation of a unified electricity market of the Union State. Cooperation is also developing in nuclear energy and the oil and gas sector.
In agriculture, cooperation has been established on several practical issues of phytosanitary control and veterinary certification.
In transport, the Agreement on the Collection of Air Navigation and Airport Charges and Tariffs has entered into force, ensuring equal tariff conditions for the provision of relevant services. To simplify participation in procurement procedures, an intergovernmental agreement was signed on the recognition of electronic signatures in cross-border electronic interaction. Suburban rail services have been launched between Vitebsk and Smolensk, and between Orsha and Smolensk.
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