REUTERS
As reported earlier, the Kremlin has been applying pressure on Belarus to stop such supplies to Ukraine, while also putting pressure on financial and industrial groups in the CIS member states to destabilize Ukrainian foreign trade.
Belarus has reduced the supply of petroleum products to Ukraine by 11.9% to 3.16 million tonnes in 2018, while increasing the value of exports by 15%, to $2.09 billion.
In 2018, Belarus exported to Ukraine 3.1% fewer petroleum products against 2017. The total volume of deliveries amounted to 11.93 million tonnes. The average export price rose to $544.1 per tonne, which is 26.2% more, according to the National Statistics Committee of Belarus, liga.net reports.
To EU countries, Belarus exported 8.5 million tonnes in 2018, increasing supplies by 7.1%. Revenues amounted to $4.2 billion (an increase of 32.7%). The average export price of Belarusian petroleum products to the European Union increased by 23.9% to $494.7 per tonne.
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Last year, Belarus exported 1.64 million tonnes of domestic oil (an increase of 1.2%) worth $809.9 million (an increase of 33.5%). The average price of supplies rose by 32% to $493.9 per tonne.
At the same time, Belarus in 2018 increased imports of Russian petroleum products. According to the National Statistics Committee, last year the country purchased 74 million tonnes of petroleum products from the Russian Federation, which is 17.5% less than in 2017. In value terms, imports of Russian petroleum products amounted to $1.09 billion, an increase of 0.3%.
Last year, the share of the Russian Federation accounted for 95.2% of the total volume of imports of petroleum products.
As UNIAN reported earlier citing an expert report on EUToday, the Kremlin is putting pressure on financial and industrial groups in the CIS member states to destabilize Ukrainian foreign trade. They have been threatened with a boycott by the Russian market if they continue cooperating with Kyiv.
Among other things, the report notes the Kremlin is also applying pressure on Belarus to stop supplying petroleum products from Belarusian refineries to Ukraine.
"Moscow believes that this should contribute to a sharp jump in fuel prices in Ukraine, hurting the economy on the eve of the election, thus playing into the hands of the populists," the report says.