Pompeo is the 1st secretary of state to visit Belarus in 26 years, and during his stay he held talks with both foreign minister Vladimir Makei and President Alexander Lukashenko. "All you have to do is call us," Pompeo said.
Other possibilities
Pompeo's offer comes as Minsk continues to search for alternative crude supplies. Lukashenko named the US, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as potential suppliers of oil to diversify sourcing of crude for Belarusian refineries, which traditionally sourced wholly from Russia.
That reliance came into question recently as Russia briefly suspended supplies in early January amid crude supply talks for 2020. Russia has since restored supplies to Belarus.
Belarus is also in talks with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Baltic states with the aim of limiting Russian oil deliveries to just 30%-40% of total imports, according to Lukashenko.
Lukashenko said in mid-December that Russia had agreed in principle to supply 20-22 Bcm of gas and 24 million-25 million mt of oil in 2020 to Belarus.
To read the article in Russian.
