President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Lukashenko,
Thank you once again for accepting the invitation and coming to Moscow to participate in the events marking the 80th anniversary of Russia’s nuclear industry. This is, in many ways, a celebration we share, first and foremost because it marks 80 years since the establishment of the nuclear industry in the USSR…
President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko: Where we have stood together.
Vladimir Putin: We stood together at that time. Second, today, the Republic of Belarus has become our reliable partner in the nuclear energy sector, with its first nuclear power plant now operational. Beyond that, Belarus has created a nuclear industry, producing specialists who are even working with Rosatom on the construction of nuclear facilities in third countries. This progress is, of course, very encouraging.
As you mentioned yesterday, about 40 percent of electricity in Belarus is now generated by its nuclear power plant. In doing so, we created a competitor for Gazprom, which had previously been the supplier of primary energy source for Belarus. While Belarus continues to buy [from Gazprom], its needs have, of course, significantly decreased.
Overall, our economic relations are very strong. Remarkably, our trade turnover exceeds US$50 billion, and it continues to grow, from last year into the first half of this year. In terms of accumulated investment, at US$4.5 billion, Russia remains the leading trade and economic partner for Belarus. Broadly speaking, we are actively cooperating across nearly all sectors.
The same applies to security matters and the security of the Union State. As we agreed, everything in this area is progressing smoothly and naturally.
I want to express my gratitude for your responsible and constructive approach to all aspects of our cooperation.
It is a great pleasure to see you. Welcome!
Alexander Lukashenko: You said I came to the forum, but I simply couldn’t resist.
You are absolutely right. We have done a great deal together to develop the nuclear industry, and our paths have never truly diverged. Thanks to your support, the nuclear power plant was built. Moreover, you kept your promise by teaching us how to build nuclear power plants ourselves.
Today, we are collaborating with Rosatom to construct nuclear power plants in other countries. That is the only area we have not yet fully explored. However, if the need arises, we are ready to consider projects such as welding reactors, structure, or any other necessary components. For now, there’s no such need. Rosatom handles these tasks at its facilities in Russia.
Our construction workers are good – their Russians customers are very pleased with their work. In fact, a significant number of our construction workers are currently working in Russia, as several governors have recently confirmed publicly. We plan to apply the competencies we acquired while building the nuclear power plant to our future joint projects that benefit both Belarus and Russia.
As I mentioned yesterday – and, if you agree, we can discuss this further today – one potential project is to expand the existing nuclear power plant or construct a new one, possibly in eastern Belarus. This would help provide electricity to the eastern regions liberated by Russia (the Kherson and the Zaporozhye regions, the Lugansk and Donetsk republics), a measure that may be necessary given the situation with the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
But I should note that we had our concerns: Belarus has never experienced an electricity shortage. So, we were concerned: if we build a power plant, what’s next?
Vladimir Putin: Your economy is growing.
Alexander Lukashenko: Our economy is growing. We are seeing more and more electric vehicles, which require charging infrastructure – an area where we have already developed and now export charging stations to Russia. Most importantly, we have been running successful experiments on replacing household gas with electricity. It works well.
Vladimir Putin: You know, artificial intelligence, data centres…
Alexander Lukashenko: You mentioned that yesterday.
Vladimir Putin: This is a perfect opportunity to advance those industries.
Alexander Lukashenko: Yes, a major new consumer is emerging.
Vladimir Putin: And a very powerful one, at that.
Alexander Lukashenko: We have our gas-fired power plants, which we keep on standby – what we call ‘in cold mode.’ Their energy has been used for things like powering mining operations. We have foreign clients paying for that power, which brings money into the budget. Since these plants are running, we are importing the necessary gas volumes from Gazprom and will naturally continue doing so. I think, Gazprom is not losing anything here. Everyone needs natural gas today, so, we will keep our efforts going in this area.
The fact is, Rosatom has already drawn up a few different scenarios for expanding our nuclear capacity further. I’d rather not get into the financial specifics publicly just yet. We have several options on the table, and I will share the details with you. Once a decision is made – if we see a clear need in western Russia and the liberated regions – we can get started straight away on a new power unit or even a new power plant. The Government will run the numbers.
Vladimir Putin: Financing should not be an issue. If you have a consumer ready to buy the electricity at your price, it should not be a problem at all.
Alexander Lukashenko: That is the main thing. There are just a couple of issues we need to settle by the end of the year. Or even one issue that pertains to our bilateral relations. And, what is there to hide? I would like to discuss a number of regional problems with you – as you know, we have our share of them.
You know, people say we meet often, but it feels like it’s been a while, and a whole pile of issues has stacked up. We will work through them today and make the necessary decisions.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.