Russia and Belarus recently closed an international trade deal on gas after the former had warned that it would disrupt its supplies if the latter did not agree with the new price. Describing the incident as "unfortunate terms," Belarus stated that it would pay around $100 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. The amount was below the $105 price asked by Russia. It must be noted that Russia threatened to cut disrupt its gas exports to Belarus if the latter failed to increase its payment. Belarussian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko commented that his country was in a difficult situation on the eve of the new year when it signed the international trade pact on gas with Russia.

Meanwhile, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller stated that Belarus was offered the best deal possible. It must be noted that around 20% of Russian gas exports to many parts in Europe pass through Belarus. Previously, Belarus had threatened to block Russian gas exports to Western Europe in a retaliatory response. The gas dispute between Russia and Belarus prior to the international trade deal echoes the disagreement between Russia and Ukraine last year. At that time, Russia cut its gas supplies to Ukraine due to price dispute. But the disruption did not only affect Ukraine, but also some parts of western Europe.

Although Russia and Ukraine settled their dispute and signed a new international trade pact, the former has been criticized ever since by some European countries. Particularly, Russia has been accused of using its rich energy supplies in order to monopolize the energy market in Europe, especially prices. Although Russia's relationship with Georgia and Ukraine have been affected by gas disputes, it ties with Belarus has remained strong after the new deal. Meanwhile, Gazprom argued that the recent price increase from $47 to $105 per 1,000 cubic meters was due to market influence.

It must be noted that a few weeks ago, Georgia was also forced to sign a new international trade pact with Russia after Gazprom had threatened to cut its supplies. Under the new agreement, Georgia would be paying around $235 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas from Russia. Initially, Georgia refused to comply, but it was forced to close the international trade pact due to Russia's threats. It must be noted that the diplomatic relationship between the two countries has been weakened by certain political and trade issues during the past few months. Particularly, Russia has impose a ban on Georgian mineral water and wine due to health reasons. The two products are among the key exports of Georgia.