Lukashenko: Belarus and the Chelyabinsk region trade for half a billion dollars a year, but there is room for improvement
August 11, 2025
Belarus and the Chelyabinsk Oblast of Russia trade for more than half a billion dollars annually, but there is still room for improvement. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on August 11 at a meeting with the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Oblast, Alexei Teksler, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Welcoming the head of the Russian region, the head of state noted the rather significant volume of bilateral trade turnover – more than half a billion dollars a year – as a positive fact of bilateral relations. According to the President, their personal meeting with Alexei Teksler (which took place in 2022) may have contributed to achieving these good results. "We have gained good momentum and realized that we can work with each other and trade," said Alexander Lukashenko. "This is good. But there are shortcomings."
For example, there is some lag in the volume of BELAZ purchases (compared to previous periods). This is a general trend, noted the President, as money has become expensive in Russia – loan rates and the Central Bank's key rate remain quite high. "This is a general trend, and I think we will overcome it," said the Belarusian leader, adding that Belarus had previously supplied a significant amount of this equipment to the Chelyabinsk Oblast, and it needs regular updates.