Итоги российско-белорусских отношений: 2000–2016

Итоги российско-белорусских отношений: 2000-2016, “Nowa Polityka Wschodnia” 2017, nr 1(12), s. 79-91, ISSN: 2084-3291, 2017

The essence of Russia's relations with Belarus after the end of the 20th century boils down to a specific kind of balance. Thanks to its presence in the institutional forms of close cooperation such as the CSTO, the Union State or the Eurasian Economic Union Minsk enjoys the openness of Russian market and very low prices of imported resources (especially crude oil and gas). What Moscow receives in return can be classified as a sort of intangible goods: greater prestige and a "friendly hegemonic" position in international relations. The balance of the game falls in favor of Lukashenko who takes advantage of his country's location between the Russian Federation and the EU: Moscow is permanently blackmailed with the possibility of Minsk's hypothetical turn toward the Western partners.