Amid the diplomatic standoff between Russia and the West, Belarus’ President Alexandr Lukashenko has instructed national agricultural producers to yield the utmost profit from someone’s problems. Escalating geopolitical tensions in Ukraine forced Russia and the West to exchange bilateral economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Belorussian farmers decided to take advantage of the food embargo and gain profits. “We have to make good use of the situation and make money. Russia decided to bar its domestic market from some food imports. We have to bear this in mind. However, we have not made any commitments to our local market. So, we can import goods from any spot on the globe. We should do it, process, and sell. But we need to agree it with Moscow. Otherwise, they will reproach us for a breach of their policy,” Alexandr Lukashenko noted. At the same time, Belarus’ President warned that the domestic market should not be depleted due to the extra demand for Belorussian food imports to Russia. With a view to boost the economy, Lukashenko announced that Belarus is ready to support the embargo-stricken European farmers at the government level. So, “Belorussian” shrimps have already appeared on the Russian market. Interestingly, the partners in the Customs Union pursue mixed policies. Currently, Russia is incurring large-scale losses as a result of severe economic sanctions. Moreover, it is spending big money on humanitarian aid to East Ukraine. Meanwhile, the other partner in the Customs Union has shown its readiness to raise profits in the doldrums. Leonid Zayats, Belarus’ minister of agriculture, reported that sales revenues from dairy and meat imports to Russia from August through December could total $2.1 billion.
