MINSK, 1 June (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko was asked by journalists to comment on the EU's threats to ban the transit of Russian gas through Belarus, BelTA has learned.
Andrei Krivosheyev, a political columnist at the Belarusian TV and Radio Company, said that these proposals are currently being discussed in the European Union. In his opinion, in this way they want to make Russia to reconsider her interest in the "Ukrainian pipe." According to him, such unfriendly steps of the West, the sanctions policy in general look more and more like a hostile takeover of sectors of the Belarusian economy.
“You have used the term ‘a hostile takeover'. I absolutely agree with this,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “It is true that these are attempts of a hostile takeover. But they will fail,” he added.
The European Union will not shoot itself in the foot by banning transit of Russian gas through Belarus, the president believes. “This will come at too high a price for them. In such a situation, they will be dealing not only with Belarus, but primarily with Russia,” he pointed out.
