Lukashenko wants to transport 50 million tons of Belarusian cargo through Russian ports

Minsk is ready to reorient exports to Russian ports. However, this requires “significant infrastructure investments.”

The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that his country can send about 50 million tons of cargo to Russian seaports every year. This is reported by Russian media.

According to the Belarusian dictator, the development of transport infrastructure connecting the Belarusian economy with Russian ports is especially important.

Lukashenko reported that Belarus has already acquired a sea terminal in the St. Petersburg region, which has been operating for two years. However, according to him, the country could expand its presence in this direction. Minsk also intends to use Murmansk as one of the key hubs, despite logistical challenges.

However, according to Lukashenko, the implementation of the plans requires the expansion of railway infrastructure. Lukashenko has appealed to Russian officials to support the construction of an additional branch to the port of Ust-Luga (Leningrad Region).

Currently, Belarusian exports are carried out through 20 Russian ports in the Baltic, Azov, Caspian and Black Seas. The main destinations are St. Petersburg, Ust-Luga, Rostov-on-Don, Novorossiysk, Yeisk, Astrakhan and Olya.

Minsk is trying to expand its own terminals in Russian ports. However, the construction of a separate Belarusian port in Primorsky Krai is currently suspended. As local officials explained, this is hindered by financial difficulties, in particular the high lending rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

Despite Lukashenko’s statements, the implementation of such large-scale plans depends on Minsk’s financial capabilities and Russia’s willingness to support these initiatives. The Belarusian economy, weakened by sanctions, is increasingly dependent on the Russian Federation, and therefore the issue of investments in logistics will largely be decided in the Kremlin.

USM previously reported that Belarus is supplying Europe with oil from stolen Ukrainian rapeseed. Thus, the Belarusian company Agroproduct uses raw materials exported from the temporarily occupied areas of the Kherson region and supplies finished products in the form of rapeseed oil to EU countries. One of them is Lithuania, where a ban on the import of Belarusian food products (and rapeseed oil in particular) has been in effect since the summer of 2024.