No gas price reduction for Belarus

Russia has rebuffed attempts by Belarus to secure lower prices for Russian gas imports, according to leading Russian newspaper Kommersant. Gazprom would accept a lower price in return for concessions on pipeline ownership though.

Correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov writes that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko flew home empty-handed on Friday, after failing to achieve a price reduction at his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Belarus pays $47 per 1,000 cubic metres. Gazprom is seeking a price of $200, but Kommersant says it would accept a lower price in return for concessions on pipeline ownership.

Gazprom ships gas to Germany and Poland across Belarus.