Gas and union state on Moscow-Minsk agenda

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Vladimir Putin – the future of the union state of Russia and Belarus likely topping the agenda alongside Russia's price for gas shipped to Belarus.

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has announced plans to raise the tarrif significantly next year, from $US46 to $US200 per thousand cubic metres. This would align the price with European levels.