Belarus plans to use Russian ports for petroleum products export

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Belarus seeks alternatives to Western transport routes for supplying its petroleum products to foreign markets and Russia's northwestern and southern ports are possible options, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Pyotr Parkhomchik said on Wednesday.

Moscow and Minsk have already signed two agreements regarding the transportation, the official said in an interview with Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA.

The agreements ensure the access of the Belarusian companies to the Russian ports, he said.

Parkhomchik said Belarus was forced to reorient its export routes due to "the loss of the key export markets."

Key Belarusian exports include oil and refined petroleum products, fertilizers, trucks and tractors.

The Moscow ally has been under Western sanctions for cracking down on opposition after the controversial 2020 presidential election, as well as its alleged involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine that started in February.

The economic sanctions include, among others, a ban on the supply to Belarus of specialized technological equipment and restrictions on the exports of Belarusian petroleum products.