The only correct decision

Why Belarusian-Russian co-operation is a logical process

The integration of Belarus and Russia symbolises the special nature of the allied relations between Minsk and Moscow, embodied in the formula ‘two states — one Fatherland’

Forum of Regions of Belarus & Russia                 Aleksandr Kulevsky 

No analogues

There are no analogues to such bilateral co-operation, either in the post-Soviet space or in the world as a whole. At the same time, other integration projects involving Minsk and Moscow are significantly inferior to the Union State in terms of the results achieved. In essence, our union appears as a flagship of integration processes in the post-Soviet space, and our integration experience may be in demand in broader formats. The President of Belarus has repeatedly expressed the idea of the Union State being open to accession by other countries, which will undoubtedly contribute to increasing the level of security and economic development in the Northern Eurasian region.

“When speaking, I often say that the Union of Belarus and Russia is not a closed club. We are not uniting against anyone. I will say more: Belarusians and Russians are interested in the entire Eurasian region developing as a single entity — so that all our neighbours are economically successful. These are crucial conditions not only for increasing the prosperity of the continent, but also for peace on our common land,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted at the 10th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in Ufa on June 28th, 2023.  

Over the years of its existence, our unification project has achieved impressive results in all areas of integration: from the military and political component to the humanitarian sphere and the economy. The implementation of 28 union programmes, adopted in 2021, demonstrates the clear and co-ordinated work of bilateral working mechanisms at governmental level.

Exhibition of achievements of national economy during Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia      Anton Stepanishchev
Gomselmash, Belarusian manufacturer of agricultural machinery, at the exhibition       

Pace of progress

A significant success last year was the conclusion of an intergovernmental agreement on the formation of a unified electricity market, which appears particularly important given Belarus’ plans to build a second nuclear power plant in co-operation with Rosatom.

Along with that, the strategically important issue of launching a unified market for gas, oil and petroleum products — which is a key condition for creating truly equal conditions for economic entities — remains in the process of solving. 

A certain slowdown in resolving this problem, coupled with some difficulties in developing the interstate electronic document management system, somewhat detracts from the generally favourable integration picture.
However, it should be recalled that the creation of a unified electricity market was planned as far back as 1999, but it took more than two decades to put the agreements into practice. On the one hand, the speed of the integration process is an objective measure of the will and capabilities of our two countries at any given historical juncture. On the other hand, in the modern world, delays, especially in strategic matters, can prove very costly and lead to an insurmountable backlog.
In this regard, the mobilisation slogan ‘Time has chosen us!’, adopted in Belarus, should be extended as a doctrinal thought throughout the Union State.

Consolidation around leaders

In recent years, the pace of integration has noticeably accelerated as a response from Minsk and Moscow to the economic aggression of the West and the armed conflict in Ukraine, where London and Brussels have set the goal of achieving a ‘strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield’. It is important to reiterate that in an environment of intense external pressure, our states have managed to ensure positive economic dynamics and maintain domestic political stability.
The consolidation of society around the figures of leaders — Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin — was confirmed by the high results achieved in the Presidential elections in Russia in 2024 and in Belarus in 2025.
According to last year’s results, Belarusian-Russian trade turnover in goods and services exceeded $60bn, and Belarusian exports to the Russian market amounted to more than $25bn.
Over the past 25 years, the volumes of mutual trade and Belarusian exports to Russia have increased more than eightfold, which is a clear illustration of the economic viability of our interstate project.
Assessing the achieved results in the field of economics and trade, one can highlight not only the successful implementation of Minsk’s agreements with the federal centre, but also the high effectiveness of Belarus’ strategy for building direct relationships with Russian regions.

The practice of holding forums of regions of Belarus and Russia, the high intensity of visits by Russian governors to our country, along with the expansion of the network of Belarusian embassy branches in the Russian Federation, meet the economic needs of the two states.

Belmedpreparaty, Belarusian pharmaceutical company             Sergei Lozyuk 

Historical mission

For a long time, the question of presenting a concentrated ‘Belarusian perspective’ on the Union State and the future development of integration has been the subject of discussion in interested circles in Belarus and Russia.

In effect, such a presentation took place during President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s speech at the Federation Council on March 14th of this year, where the Belarusian leader voiced important points, which were subsequently dubbed a ‘historical speech’ by certain political experts.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that ‘the decision to create the Union State was the only correct one’, and that in the coming years the ‘historical mission’ of the political leadership of the two countries is to ensure the irreversibility of the Belarusian-Russian integration process.