The Union State on its 25 Anniversary

Speeches by Lukashenko and Putin plus their statements to media.

Top government members fill the council positions.

The meeting of the Union State’s Supreme Council was timed to mark the 25th anniversary of its founding in 1999. As you see, the Council is a small group but has a large staff. There’re no restricted or expanded format meetings as with other Summits as the Union State is a hybrid organization that has effectively brought Belarus back inside Russia as a “super-region.” Many of the documents being signed are related to the reintegration of the two regions/nations, for example the energy market. The first portion of this report consists of the speeches given by Lukashenko and Putin to open the meeting. The second portion has the two presidents addressing media. I know many readers would like to read what I have to say about the Syrian situation. I provided a comment I made today at MoA in a reply to TC on one of the comment threads here but have yet to gather enough information to provide an analytical article on what’s a very fluid situation. Pepe Escobar has had two published at Sputnik and SCF, plus a chat with Nima that I suggest be read and viewed, while Alastair Crooke has an essay at SCF too. Now that everyone’s clicked away to read and watch, here’s my report:

Speeches of the Presidents of Russia and Belarus at the meeting

Alexander Lukashenko: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear members of the Supreme State Council, Dear participants of today's meeting,

I am glad to welcome all of you to the Belarusian capital on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State.

Today we can state with confidence that in 1999 our calculation turned out to be correct: only in the union "two" were we able to fully realize all the accumulated experience and potential based on the principles of mutual trust and partnership.

The existing bilateral relations demonstrate a powerful force of mutual attraction, which is based on a common language and scientific and technical school, similar mentalities, cultural traditions, and our common history. A unique global experience has been created: two countries – two economies – one economic space. This experience is time-tested and proved its worth.

In the face of unprecedented sanctions pressure, basic sectors of the economy have been preserved, the financial system has not been disrupted, unemployment is at minimum levels, and citizens ' incomes and savings are growing. We didn't just survive – we became stronger.

Here are just a few figures from economic statistics.

In comparison with 1999, the GDP of our countries has grown significantly: in Belarus and Russia, by about 2.5 times. The Belarusian-Russian trade turnover is also steadily increasing. Last year, it reached $ 55 billion, and this year-if the current growth rate is maintained-we will reach about $ 60 billion.

But we need to ask ourselves: have we done everything we can to ensure that such progress is constant and not subject to any fluctuations?

In order to cope with all new challenges, we need coordinated and responsible work of governments and all sectors of the economy, because due to the peculiarities of the current situation, we have to solve fundamentally new tasks. In their reports, members of the Governments of Belarus and Russia will focus in more detail on the issues of rapid response to this situation.

For my part, I would like to outline several strategic directions for our further development.

First of all, it is necessary to remove the ballast of problems that we have been trampling over for several years – there are such problems. I remember that Vladimir Vladimirovich said at a meeting in Moscow yesterday: don't be shy – say what you haven't done well, people will understand.

I believe that the number one task is to implement a common economic policy and ensure equal rights of citizens in our union area. We have not yet managed to reach the level of self-sufficiency and independence of our association, at which we could carry out long-term planning of our development and would be protected from external conjuncture and various challenges.

The tools for solving this problem are clear: coordinated industrial policy, common approaches to ensuring food security, a single energy market, systematic achievement of technological sovereignty and rational import substitution. It is also important to remove the remaining obstacles in bilateral trade.

We have already started implementing joint projects in such areas as microelectronics, machine tool construction, aircraft construction, and shipbuilding, but so far we are not moving very fast. To date, only 27 import-substituting projects are being implemented for the combined market of Belarus and Russia, the volume of which is estimated at two trillion dollars in total GDP. This figure should be, I think, hundreds of times more. Both Belarus and Russia will benefit from such projects.

Thanks to our cooperation, new jobs are being created in both countries, and new, innovative products are being developed. Today we will take another significant step in our union construction – we will sign an agreement on the formation of a unified electricity market. For the functioning of an equal and fair economic environment, we look forward to the early launch of joint markets for gas, oil and petroleum products. We are actively working in these areas.

No matter what goals we pursue when building our Union State, its main goal and target audience are our citizens, those who believe in us, trust us, and count on a careful response to their needs and needs. Therefore, a special topic is ensuring equal rights of citizens of Belarus and Russia.

Over the past quarter-century, much has been done in the areas of migration, social and labor relations, and healthcare.

There are no restrictions on movement on the territory of both countries. Equal rights in the spheres of labor activity, recognition of work experience and labor protection are provided. The issues of pension provision and social insurance have been resolved. All citizens are provided with emergency medical care. Our experts estimate that about 60,000 Russian citizens will receive medical care in Belarus in 2023 alone. Support is provided to families with children and certain categories of the population.

And what makes us very happy: on any holidays, holidays and in general, Belarus is the most attractive country for tourist trips of such a giant country as Russia. But there is still much work to be done. Every person should feel all the benefits of our union in practice, without restriction.

The second is transport and logistics. Belarusian export cargo went through Russian ports, which brought mutual benefits. On the one hand, it solved our task of organizing export logistics, and on the other, it gave a significant increase to the profits of Russian companies.

But there are still a lot of unused reserves. The implementation of the Northern Sea Route project is next in line. We have already tried to transport cargo along this route – it turns out well.

Russian partners are working on a pilot project to create a high-speed railway line from Moscow to St. Petersburg. We expect it to continue on the Moscow-Minsk route. Vladimir Vladimirovich, your statement that there will be such a highway from Moscow via Minsk to Brest has inspired Belarusians, because a lot of people move from Minsk to Moscow. Recently, we had to add two more trains.

The third is military and political security. Life itself forces us to pay special attention to the defense capability of our states. By signing today the Union State security Concept and the interstate treaty on security guarantees, we are reaching an unprecedented level of strategic alliance and coordination in the military sphere.

This will help prevent violations of the territorial integrity of Belarus and Russia, preserve sovereignty and independence, and, most importantly, create guarantees for a peaceful life for our citizens. Only, Mr Putin, our intention to sign this agreement has excited our "partners" in the West, as you said. That's probably not bad: they noticed it.

Fourth – planning and reallocation of labor resources. It is no secret that every year the Russian labor market attracts a significant number of Belarusians, which means that in our time there is a shortage of workers and we have the same problem as in Russia. We need a coordinated policy in this area and effective legal mechanisms that take into account the interests of both sides.

Dear friends!

It is important that our agenda constantly includes very special topics. In May 2025, Belarusians and Russians, together with other peoples of the former USSR, together with those who share our values, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is the most important memorable date for our people, who are connected by a common history, spiritually and culturally close.

Just like our ancestors 80 years ago, on May 9, we will commemorate the victims of the terrible war together on Red Square and mark the important anniversary of the historic Victory of the Soviet people over fascism.

Today, as always, we have a busy agenda. It contains specific issues of concern to the residents of our countries, which can improve the conditions for the functioning of the economies and strengthen the security of Belarus and Russia. Let me wish you all fruitful work.

Thank you for your attention and I give the floor to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, Dear colleagues!

As the President of Belarus has already noted, today's session of the Supreme State Council has a special character: it is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State on December 9, 1999. Let me remind you that we all know this very well, that this is the merit of the first President of the Russian Federation Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin and Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko.

This is a truly fundamental document, guided by which Russia and Belarus have jointly done a truly large-scale work over the past quarter of a century. First of all, I am referring to the deepening of integration in the socio-economic and humanitarian spheres, the unification of the legislation of the two countries, as well as the measures taken to reliably ensure common defense and security.

The main thing is that the Russian-Belarusian relations of alliance and strategic partnership are built on the unshakable principles of friendship and good neighborliness, mutual respect and consideration of each other's interests. Our countries and peoples are united by a common history, family and kinship ties that have developed between many Russians and Belarusians, and a commitment to the same moral and spiritual values.

Within the framework of the Union State, trade and investment exchanges are actively developing, multifaceted business contacts and cooperation ties are expanding, and conditions are being created for stable and sustainable growth of our countries ' economies. In other words, integration actually brings tangible benefits to the citizens of both our countries, contributing to improving their quality of life and well-being.

All this clearly demonstrates the correctness of the strategic course we have chosen for comprehensive cooperation and the formation of a common economic, humanitarian, and defense space between Russia and the Republic of Belarus.

I would like to note the well-established work of the Union State's practical cooperation mechanisms. Meetings of the Council of Ministers are held on a regular basis, and the ministries of the two countries, with the support of the Union State Standing Committee, carry out coordinated macroeconomic policies, promote sectoral cooperation, and coordinate issues related to the functioning of financial markets and banking systems. At the same time, special attention is paid to minimizing the damage caused by illegal Western sanctions and other restrictions.

The supranational tax committee and the interstate customs center are working very hard. We discussed these issues for a long time, everything was not easy, we checked each other's position to the smallest detail, but in general, both from the Russian side and from our friends in Belarus, all the solutions were found. I am sure that our colleagues from both countries are satisfied with the way these mechanisms work. They certainly play a useful role in modern conditions and create conditions for the steady growth of our economies and moving forward.

In general, the decision of the Supreme State Council on the main directions of cooperation in the Union State for the period 2024-2026 is being successfully implemented. We are talking about large-scale joint projects and events in key areas: industry, agriculture, energy, transport, culture and information policy. Science and education are also in the spotlight. To date, about 20 percent of the planned activities have already been completed.

The effectiveness of Russian-Belarusian integration is clearly confirmed by the growing indicators of trade turnover. Alexander Grigoryevich has already announced the expected figures before the end of the year. This is a forecast, and I think it is quite correct. From January to September, according to our statistics, it increased by 8.4 percent, exceeded $ 37 billion, and by the end of [the year] it will probably be close to the figures that the President of Belarus has already mentioned.

Thus, Russia accounts for more than half of the Belarusian foreign trade balance. In turn, for Russia, Belarus is the fourth trading partner in the world with a share of almost nine percent.

In addition, Russia has invested more than four billion dollars in the Belarusian economy. About 2.5 thousand companies with Russian participation operate in the republic. Cooperation in the energy sector is being deepened, and the process of creating joint oil and gas markets continues. The Agreement on the formation of a single electric power market has been agreed and is ready for signing today, as Alexander Grigoryevich has already said, and this decision will reduce prices for end-users both in Russia and in Belarus. In my opinion, this is very important for the combine and for industrial enterprises.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant built by Rosatom is operating as planned. Total electricity generation at its two units exceeded 36 billion kilowatt-hours, including more than 14 billion this year, which is already 20 percent higher than for the whole of 2023. These are good indicators.

The scale of bilateral industrial cooperation is growing, with an emphasis on import substitution and increasing the share of products with high added value, which is very important in modern conditions, and even more important in the future. As some colleagues from the Russian Government tell me: just don't cancel anything here.

Of course, we face certain problems associated with certain restrictions, but the liberation of the domestic Russian market for our producers in the field of real production in industry, just as it was in the past with agricultural production, in general, ultimately plays a more positive role than it creates problems.

We have established cooperation and partnership in high-tech industries, in digitalization and microelectronics, in the field of informatization. Today, a new decision will be made to introduce comfortable tariffs for using communication and data transmission services on the territory of the Union State. The new rules will come into force on March 1, 2025.

Within the framework of the Union State, humanitarian areas of cooperation are also being developed, and intensive educational, cultural, sports and youth exchanges are being supported. Citizens of the Union State can benefit from the proton therapy medical care program at the Dimitrovgrad Radiology Center.

Forums of engineering and technological universities are held. Today, this is especially important for training personnel both in Russia and Belarus. The Union State awards in science and technology, literature and art have become truly prestigious. A special award has also been established, which will be awarded to young scientists for achievements in natural, technical and humanitarian disciplines.

We propose to establish a prize for historical research and cultural and educational projects that contribute to the patriotic education of young people.

Dear members of the Supreme State Council,

In the face of unprecedented external pressure, Russia and Belarus closely cooperate in international affairs and consistently provide each other with truly allied mutual support. Our countries ' approaches to current global and regional issues coincide or, as diplomats often say in such cases, are largely similar.

As you know, the BRICS summit in Kazan in October decided to establish a new category of BRICS partner states, and we are glad that our Belarusian friends promptly confirmed their readiness to join the BRICS work in this capacity.

Russia and Belarus are also stepping up cooperation in the field of defense and security, as the President of Belarus has already said, in the military-technical field, and this, of course, meets the fundamental interests of our two countries and peoples.

A unified air defense system is functioning within the defense space of the Union State, and a joint regional grouping of troops has been established. Daily contacts are maintained by law enforcement agencies. The military doctrine of the Union State has recently been updated. A security concept has been submitted for approval by the Supreme State Council, which formulates assessments of the current difficult international situation and outlines joint measures to counter major challenges and threats.

Of course, we are particularly concerned about the situation in the European region, in particular, of course, in Ukraine. Western countries deliberately escalate tensions. It was they who brought this tragedy to this day and continue to escalate the situation. Such irresponsible policies push the world to the brink of global conflict. We know the position of Belarus, the position of the President of Belarus, aimed at a peaceful settlement of this crisis. We are constantly discussing these issues, and today during the exchange of views, of course, due attention will also be paid to this issue.

And in such circumstances, it is quite logical that today we will sign an interstate agreement on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State. It defines mutual allied obligations to ensure the defense, protection of the sovereignty, independence and constitutional order of Russia and Belarus, the integrity and inviolability of the territory and external border of the Union State, and with the use of all available forces and means. We are also talking about Russian tactical nuclear weapons, located, at the suggestion of the President of Belarus, on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Let me remind you that the possibility of its use for defensive purposes in response to a possible attack using weapons of mass destruction or in repelling aggression using conventional weapons, but creating a critical threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity, is clearly set out in the Decree "On the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear Deterrence"approved on November 19. We constantly coordinate these issues with the leadership of Belarus, with the President of Belarus. I am confident that this agreement will allow us to reliably protect the security of Russia and Belarus and thus create conditions for further peaceful and sustainable development of our two states.

Next year we will celebrate, as already mentioned, the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is important that both Russia and Belarus remember and honor the feat of our fathers and grandfathers who fought shoulder to shoulder against Nazism. And we will certainly continue to do everything possible to ensure that future generations do not forget about the cost of defending peace and freedom.

We are waiting for Alexander Grigoryevich at the anniversary celebrations in Moscow on May 9. We also invited military crews from Belarus to take part in the parade on Red Square together with the Russian military. And, of course, I hope to see Alexander Grigoryevich on December 25-26 in St. Petersburg at the traditional informal meeting of CIS leaders and at the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

In conclusion, I would like to express my confidence that the work at today's meeting of the Supreme State Council will be productive and will serve to further dynamic development and integration of Russia and Belarus, as well as strengthen the security and defense potential of the Union State.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the preparation of today's event and in the preparation of documents. It was a big, creative and very necessary work.

Thank you so much for your attention.

And now for their words to media:

Alexander Lukashenko: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Thank you for coming here today with your colleagues – almost the entire leadership of the Russian Federation – and for holding a very fruitful meeting of the Supreme State Council.

But if you will allow me, in connection with the fraternal relations that have been established between us, as your press secretary [Dmitry Peskov] correctly said once, to raise another issue. I did not raise it at the meeting, but I will frankly say that I do not hide it, because I have already said this in Astana. This is a very serious issue, and it is better to keep it open before there are different conspiracy approaches to this problem.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, we are very concerned about the situation in Western Europe, especially on our borders, especially from Poland and Lithuania – neighboring states. We assess this as a danger even greater than from the warring Ukraine.

Already 15 kilometers away, just a stone's throw from the border, troops are being deployed – and not only Poles, Lithuanians at the border, but also NATO armed forces from other countries, including Germany, are being drawn there. So the situation is very tense. Poland spends huge resources on arming its army. But if they want to live in peace with us, as they claim, then why spend billions of dollars on weapons? In short, we are very concerned about this.

This is already a threat to our joint grouping of armed forces, which you mentioned in your speech today. In Astana, so without coordinating, of course, with you, I translated it into a joke – but what a joke can there be when it comes to new weapons!

Recently, Russia successfully launched the Oreshnik rocket. This had a certain impact on our former partners, now rivals. Don't take this as some kind of impudence: I want to publicly ask you to place new weapons systems, first of all "Oreshnik", on the territory of Belarus.

This would seriously refresh some minds that are already ready to fight against Belarus, as well as against Russia on the territory of Belarus, in accordance with the concept of national security that you recently signed and we adopted today on the Union State.

We have, and I did not jokingly say this, certain places where we can place these weapons. With only one condition: that the targets for these weapons will be determined by the military and political leadership of Belarus. In the meantime, you will train us to use these weapons, if this is done, so that the specialists of the Russian Federation can maintain and launch Hazel warheads at certain targets. You know how to do this – you demonstrated it recently.

This would significantly strengthen the defense of our Union and, above all, the Belarusian territory.

I would very much like you to think about it and agree with my request. They reproach us: nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons were placed, and so on. It's not a nuclear weapon, but it's very effective. As you said, this is comparable under certain conditions to causing damage as a nuclear weapon, but without any infection and without any strikes that would lead to infection of the territories and objects that are being hit.

Once again, I ask you to consider it. This would be good support-not only for my request, but also for the Belarusian people.

Vladimir Putin: Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, Dear colleagues!

First of all, I would like to thank Alexander Grigoryevich for the invitation to visit Minsk and for the traditionally warm welcome of our entire delegation.

I have already said in the course of our work today that a great deal of work was done by experts and government members from both sides to prepare for today's event, and it was very successful and productive. Yes, there are issues that we still need to work on in the economic sphere. But nevertheless, all our previous meetings were aimed at agreeing on some controversial issues, which always exist, taking into account the huge volume of our interaction.

Today--Alexander Grigoryevich knows this, his colleagues know it from both sides—almost all the issues that caused some disputes, maybe the need for coordination, they are all just agreed. Of course, there is still work to be done, and we will continue to do so. I am confident that we will achieve good results, because both sides are ready and willing to continue our joint constructive work. This means that solutions will be found.

Although, I repeat, today—Alexander Grigoryevich, I think you will agree–-there are simply no such issues that would cause some dissatisfaction in the development of our relations on one or the other side, they simply do not exist today. There are, I repeat, topics that need to be worked on, and we will continue to do so.

We have just signed two very important agreements–-the Single Electricity Market Agreement and the security guarantees Agreement. Of course, these treaties are of fundamental importance: one in the field of economy, the other in the field of security, since this treaty on security guarantees defines mutual allied obligations to ensure the defense of Russia and Belarus. And, as we have already said, with the use of all available forces and means.

That is why we agreed to meet the requests of the Republic of Belarus and the President of Belarus for the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. Of course, such advanced systems as "Oreshnik", they have no analogues in the world. In the case of group use, they are comparable to the use of nuclear weapons, but they are not weapons of mass destruction for two reasons.

First, unlike weapons of mass destruction, they are highly accurate weapons. It does not hit the squares and achieves results not at the expense of its power, but at the expense of accuracy: the first.

The second: in the case of a group use: one, two, three complexes, the force of impact is the same as a nuclear one, but it does not infect the area, has no radiation consequences, since there is no nuclear component in the warhead of these missiles.

As for the possibility of deploying such, frankly, formidable weapons as the Oreshnik on the territory of Belarus: since we have signed an agreement on security guarantees with the use of all available forces and means, I consider the deployment of such complexes as the Oreshnik on the territory of the Republic of Belarus possible-–the first.

Second, I think it will become possible in the second half of next year, as the production of such systems increases, the serial production of these systems in Russia and as these missile systems enter service with the Russian strategic forces.

And, of course, there are a number of technical issues that must be resolved by specialists, namely, determining the minimum range, taking into account the priorities of ensuring the security of the Republic of Belarus. Specialists should work here, but I think that there are such opportunities, taking into account the fact that this will require minimal costs. I mean that Belarus still has certain infrastructure opportunities from the Soviet era, so the deployment of such complexes in Belarus will be associated with minimal infrastructure preparation costs.

Of course, despite the fact that they will be part of the Strategic Missile Forces complex of Russia, nevertheless, the definition of objects of destruction on the territory of a possible enemy will certainly remain with the military-political leadership of the Republic of Belarus. This is an obvious thing.

So we will discuss all this in working mode. I can only say right away that experts understand this very well: the shorter the range, the greater the power of the warhead. Well, we'll talk about the technical details later.

Thank you.

Alexander Lukashenko: Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, I am very happy with the answer – the second half of next year.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, the second half. By this time, according to our preliminary calculations, we will start mass production. These complexes will be put into service in the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia. And in parallel, we will start placing them on the territory of Belarus.

Alexander Lukashenko: I took advantage of our friendship in the sense that if you want to get something out of Putin, get him to promise something publicly. [My Emphasis]

IMO, the Syrian lesson proves that merely having advanced Russian weapons on the ground doesn’t mean they’ll be properly employed. Russia’s failure to properly defend Syrai from Zionist and Outlaw US Empire attacks has resulted in the loss of Syria, and its recovery will thus cost many more lives as the Wider War had surely commenced. Further, Oreshnik isn’t some kind of magic bullet. In hindsight, there’s great, tragic irony that as Putin and Lukashenko talked, Syria was in the process of being lost.

An off-topic closing note, Trump today was publicly asked if he still intended to try and overturn the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and end automatic citizenship to those born within the Outlaw US Empire and he said that indeed he will do so—although legally he’ll need a Constitutional Amendment to do so. Trump avowed being against Obama’s policies while running in 2014 but reinforced them instead of overthrowing them once elected. IMO, he’ll do the same again as he railed against Biden’s policies but indicates he’ll continue and escalate them. His attack on the Constitution tells me he doesn’t intend to fulfill his oath of office whatsoever which is to uphold and defend it. Given his animosity to Syria and Iran, look for the Wider War to be further widened as soon as he enters office.

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