11 August 2025

Lukashenko: Trade between Belarus, Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast exceeds $0.5bn

Trade between Belarus and Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast is over half a billion dollars, but there is still room for improvement, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a meeting with Chelyabinsk Oblast Governor Aleksei Teksler in Minsk on 11 August, BelTA has learned.

Welcoming Aleksei Teksler, the head of state hailed the substantial bilateral trade exceeding $500 million per year as a positive achievement. The president suggested their 2022 meeting with Aleksei Teksler may have contributed to these solid results. “We've gained proper momentum and realized that we can work with each other and trade,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “This is good. But there are shortcomings.”

For instance, purchases of BelAZ trucks have slightly declined (compared to previous periods). According to the president, this is a general trend since borrowing costs in Russia have increased, with both loan interest rates and the key rate remaining quite high. “This is a general trend. I believe we will overcome it,” the Belarusian leader added, noting that Belarus had previously supplied significant amounts of this machinery to Chelyabinsk Oblast and it requires regular modernization.

“There is work to be done. I want to assure you that our government will address bottlenecks and expand cooperation,” the head of state emphasized.

Source