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Belarus may be left without gas
 After a spectacular gas cutoff in February, a standoff between Gazprom and Belarusian authorities has been somewhat subdued. However, the Russian Courier newspaper reports, the parties, without coming into direct contact, exchanged threats at the beginning of this week. Since the start of this year, Belarus has purchased gas from so-called independent Russian producers, at a price of $46.68 per 1,000 cubic meters. For its part, Gazprom offered its gas for $50 per 1,000 cubic meters, while Belarus’ government insisted on prices applied to the “fifth zone” of Russia. The parties did not make much efforts to bring their positions closer together.
According to Russian Courier, Gazprom’s wait-and-see position seems to have been a purposeful tactic. After independent producers fully exhausted their quotas for gas sales to Belarus, Gazprom offered new terms: $52 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas and a transit fee of $0.67.
This was an unpleasant surprise for Belarusian authorities. They hoped to partly offset high gas prices by transit fees, which they estimate 1.5 times more expensive. And now the situation is becoming dangerous again. If Gazprom persists, Belarus may be left without gas as soon as next week, the newspaper reports.
At the same time, Gazprom, which suffered losses from the previous cutoff, would like to resolve the conflict peacefully, Russian Courier notes. And here is a coincidence: Vladimir Putin will meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Sunday. On the eve of this rendezvous, Gazprom officials told Belarusian reporters that February’s cutoff had been blessed by the Kremlin, and made it clear that they would lend an ear to the Kremlin in the future, too.
The two leaders have discussed the gas issue on more than one occasion, but this has not led to significant progress, the newspaper concludes.
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