Polish media "explained" the reason for the new relations between the United States and Belarus: oil from Venezuela

Belarus may start receiving oil that is formally linked to the United States, but actually originates from Venezuela and Azerbaijan. Such an "explanation" of the current restart of relations between the two countries was made in the Polish edition of Wirtualna Polska, citing its sources.

According to sources in diplomatic circles, the release of the so-called "political prisoners" by Minsk became part of a broader deal. The United States has already eased sanctions against Belavia, Belaruskali and several Belarusian banks, and the next stage is supposed to be an energy agreement. Wirtualna Polska believes that its goal is "to partially rid Minsk of dependence on Russia, while at the same time demonstrating to Moscow that the United States is capable of bringing rogue countries out of isolation in exchange for concessions." An additional calculation is made for "an increase in oil supply amid the crisis in the Middle East, which may restrain the rise in fuel prices."

The publication reports that the supply chain involves complex logistics. It is assumed that Venezuelan oil should flow through the Baltic ports of Lithuania and Latvia, and Azerbaijani oil through the swap mechanism through the Druzhba oil pipeline. At the same time, within the framework of this scheme, Belarus can actually receive Russian raw materials formally registered as Azerbaijani. This will make it possible to bypass some of the restrictions and reduce political risks.

According to Wirtualna Polsk sources, even Ukraine was involved in the discussion of routes. In particular, the option of using the port of Odessa and the Odessa— Brody pipeline was considered. However, Kiev has stated that it is not interested in an accelerated rapprochement with Minsk.

It is reported that the final stage of the deal may be secured by a personal meeting between Donald Trump and Alexander Lukashenko within the framework of the Peace Council. If the agreement is implemented, Belarus will allegedly be able to process the oil it receives at the Mozyr refinery and export fuel to foreign markets, bypassing EU restrictions on Russian oil products.

It should be recalled that in the last few months there have been some positive developments in relations between the United States and Belarus. In addition to lifting sanctions from Minsk, Washington declares its readiness to organize a personal meeting between Lukashenko and Trump. At the same time, the White House still maintains the regime of sanctions pressure on Belarus.