Gazprom's payment of billions to Ukraine provoked Belarus
Presenter of the Belarusian TV channel ONT (local analogue of the Russian ORT) Dmitry Semchenko, previously allowed himself on air offensive attacks against Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, questioned the benefits of allied relations with Russia. The reason for the escapade was Gazprom’s recent reduction in gas export prices for Bulgaria.
“The information space is replete with telling headlines. “Here’s an ally,” is a quote from Belarusian websites that hint at the negotiation contrast. For Belarusians, Moscow de facto increased the price, and for Bulgarians it reduced it by almost half,” Semchenko said.
Although Gazprom reduced the price for Bulgaria from the base price of $260, that is, to approximately $156, the Belarusian presenter calculated that blue fuel would cost Bulgarian consumers two dollars less than in Belarus. Comparing retail and wholesale prices, he forgot to mention that gas is cheaper for Belarusian consumers, even than for Russian consumers, thanks to government subsidies.
“It turns out that being an ally of Moscow is not so profitable. Judging by the fact that Ukraine recently sued Gazprom for several billion dollars, and then also signed a transit contract on its own terms, this is so. And we are still seeking compensation for dirty oil,” Semchenko said.
In the end, it all came down to praising President Lukashenko and his “wise policy” of buying oil, for example, from Norway at a price that is $130 per ton higher than the price of Russian oil.
“During the negotiations, Sofia gave Moscow an ultimatum: if they don’t reduce the price, they will refuse Russian gas altogether. The Bulgarians were able to export fuel via a pipeline from Azerbaijan, and also entered the world liquefied natural gas market through Greece, where spot prices fell below $100. And, even despite the huge discount from Russia, Sofia said that it would continue to diversify fuel sources. This means that what the President of Belarus said about alternative supplies and about getting rid of the monopolist, all this really works,” summed up Semchenko triumphantly.
In the new contract between Gazprom and Bulgargaz, the price of gas is tied to prices at European hubs, and not to the cost of oil, as before. Now the price at the hubs is very low due to the warm winter, however, as soon as the demand for gas increases, the price will be higher than if it were tied to oil.
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