Russia hints at Belarus joining it in a unified state in exchange for oil deal: Lukashenko

MINSK (Reuters) – Moscow has hinted at giving Minsk a deal on energy prices in exchange for Belarus joining Russia in a unified state, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday, the state news agency Belta reported.

Russia and Belarus have been discussing possible deeper integration in a union state for around two decades, but have failed to agree on key points, including a united currency.

Lukashenko met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week, but the two failed to agree on a new deal for oil supplies in 2020.

(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky, Writing by Alexander Marrow; editing by John Stonestreet)