Alexander Lukashenko calls for economic cooperation with Poland and Baltic neighbors

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has expressed surprise at the refusal of Poland and Lithuania to purchase Belarusian wood pellets, despite rising fuel costs in those countries. During a working visit to the Minsk region, Lukashenko suggested that economic cooperation with neighbors like Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia could help avoid conflict, stating, “If we do not look at each other solely through the sights of our weapons, but begin to cooperate economically, it means that perhaps we will manage to avoid war.”

Lukashenko emphasized the necessity of regional cooperation due to a perceived food crisis in Europe caused by drought. Regarding the trade of wood products, he noted that while Belarus offers pellets at reasonable prices, the neighboring countries are “stubbornly” sticking to their own positions. He concluded that if neighbors refuse to buy, Belarus will increase its own domestic use of the pellets, citing the production of modern boilers in Gomel designed for such fuel.