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Russian president's aide defends decision to build oil, gas pipelines bypassing Belarus

An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Moscow's decision to build oil and gas pipelines bypassing Belarus.

"The fewer transit countries on the way of Russian energy resources to Europe, the better both for Russia and Europe," Sergei Yastrzhembsky said in an interview published by Thursday's Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"They want to talk us out of building oil and gas pipelines that directly reach European consumers," the official noted. "I'm sure that such pipelines are as much desirable as possible."

When asked to comment on Alyaksandr Lukashenka's move to forge closer ties with the West, the Russian president's aide noted that Western countries were not going to take steps to meet Minsk halfway. "This is a question to the West, whether it is ready to accept Mr. Lukashenka. And I believe the West has already given its reply. And it appears to be not as encouraging as Minsk would like it to be," he concluded.