Preferential oil supply terms for Belarus may be discussed at Lukashenko-Putin talks - deputy PM

MINSK. May 24 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko may discuss preferential terms for supplying oil to Belarus, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.

"Perhaps this [subsidized supply] will be discussed. In any case, this is not about compelling companies to sell for less than the market price, whereas any preferences are a matter for the interstate level," Novak told reporters in Minsk, as quoted by the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA.

As to whether any premium terms for oil exports to Belarus were planned, Novak said that this could be an item on the agenda of negotiations between Lukashenko and Putin in Minsk on Friday.

"Prices for supplying oil [to Belarus] are completely market-based; they are in effect for the deliveries of Russian enterprises to Belarusian buyers. If there is a discounted price for Russian oil, then it is supplied to plants at a discount," Novak said.