Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly that he had offered the United States to buy the Nezhinsky Mining and Processing Plant for $3 billion. According to him, the Americans are considering the proposal.
“At the very first meeting I told the Americans: guys, you are all businesspeople. Think about this. We were building a private mine. The private owner left, frightened by your sanctions. You think about it. Not one billion, but three. Three billion. Buy a new plant from us. You buy all the potash at world prices and take it to America. And as a bonus, from the old mine we will also give you a couple or three million tonnes of oil. America is a premium market. They are thinking. Come in. Enter the capital of this enterprise, we invite you. Maybe then you will not fight against us and will not make plans against us. They are thinking,” Lukashenka said.
Lukashenka also said that he did not need the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Belavia and Belarusian potash.
“People rejoiced: ah, sanctions have been lifted from Belavia. Well, the Americans presented it to me like this: Mr President, we will lift sanctions from Belavia. I say: respected American gentlemen, do not lift them. If earlier two or three planes were standing idle at the airport, today they are all flying and there are not enough of them. Well, Putin and I agreed: we will buy Russian aircraft. Yes, aircraft that have already proven themselves, good aircraft, and we will transport people. Today in Russia, huge Russia, across half the world, to China, to Asia, where we fly, there is a shortage of aircraft. What kind of gift did you give me? Well, you lifted them, fine. We have a sufficient fleet of Boeings, we will buy spare parts. Thank you.
The same applies to Belaruskali now. They say, we will lift sanctions from Belaruskali. From everything. Remove something from BPC. We will lift sanctions from all potash. I say: thank you, but this is not relevant for us. Not relevant. Last year and this year we will produce and sell more potash than in previous years and even receive more money. That’s all. Do not think that you have done us some wow, wow, wow kind of service,” Lukashenka said.
He proposed looking at talks with the United States more broadly than “some lifting of sanctions.”
He also noted that Donald Trump “is not a fool.”
“He will pressure somewhere, then step back. I already know his policy, and the Americans confirmed this. They know what they need, and from Venezuela they know, we discussed this problem a lot, and from Russia, and from Ukraine. First of all, rare earth metals, regarding Ukraine. They push their business, they push their economy. Peace through force. America first. These are their slogans.
Therefore I say directly: guys, I understand what you want, but you must understand that we are much smaller than you economically, but we have our own interests. And I, as president, must express the interests of the Belarusian people. This is the basis of our negotiations,” Lukashenka said.
He urged his supporters not to worry that he would betray or sell them.
As a reminder, the Nezhinsky Mining and Processing Plant was initially built by Slavkali, a company owned by Russian oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev. However, after sanctions were imposed on him and his structures, the project was suspended. As a result, in 2022 OAO Nedra Nezhin appeared at the Nezhinsky Mining and Processing Plant site. This year, Lukashenka acknowledged that the enterprise had been nationalized.
