Kuleba: Lukashenko has not yet used fuel lever against Ukraine

"Unfortunately, for historical reasons, we have become a consumer of fuel from Belarus. In some sectors, [Belarus has] almost a monopoly. I believe that this situation needs to be corrected. We cannot rely on Belarus led by Alexander Lukashenko. We cannot afford to have any leverage against Ukraine, so we need to diversify these supplies," Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba told journalists at the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. International Relations” on July 5, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He added that the Ukrainian side at the state level was thinking about how to replace Belarusian fuels and fertilizers. At the same time, the minister noted that the sale of fuel to Ukraine was an important component of the Belarusian economy.

"That's why Alexander Lukashenko does not use this lever in some way. But there is a risk, we have to take it into account. I am in favor of having diversified supplies so that we do not depend on Belarus or any other country," the Ukrainian minister summed up.

As reported, Lukashenko announced on July 2 that he had instructed Belarusian border troops to completely close the border with Ukraine. He motivated this by the fact that "huge piles of weapons" had been allegedly delivered to Belarus from Ukraine.

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