Milk War

(Abkhazia and South Ossetia) Belarus and Russia are two post-Soviet neighbors which are linked through a special treaty of alliance. Tensions between the two began in late 2006, with rising gas prices from Russia and Belarus beginning to reconcile with the European Union (EU). Belarus joined the Eastern Partnership, an initiative to improve economic and political relations between the EU and six post-Soviet states. The EU lifted its travel ban on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, despite maintaining the position that the 2006 Belarusian presidential election was rigged. Belarus was pressured to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. At the time, only Russia and Nicaragua had extended diplomatic recognition to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Belarus did not recognize Abkhazia or South Ossetia and began negotiations with the United States to release political prisoners. At times of strained relations, Russia has previously banned meat products from Poland, wine from Moldova, canned fish from Latvia and most agricultural products from Georgia. ==Trade dispute==

Putin's visit to Minsk advised Russia to place the ban on Belarusian dairy product imports On May 29, 2009, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited Belarus's capital Minsk and offered the final US$500 million of a $2.4 billion Lukashenko claimed that the loan was offered on the condition that Belarus would recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent. and froze the loan, with Russian politician Alexei Kudrin expressing concerns by claiming that Belarus could not afford to be economically independent by the year's end. On June 6, 2009, Russia banned around 1,200 milk and dairy products from Belarus. Lukashenko called for his advisors to draw up a list of hypothetical economic threats Russia might impose on Belarus. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced Lukashenko's intentions to boycott the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit held in Moscow. Russia viewed the summit as critical to countering NATO and Western influence in post-Soviet states. Following the lifting of the ban, Andrew Wilson of the think-tank European Council on Foreign Relations declared Lukashenko the winner of the Milk War, but expressed concerns about Belarus's long-term survival. Vitali Silitski wrote for Politico that Russia would continue with efforts to remove Lukashenko from office. ==Aftermath==

Belarusian fact-finding in Abkhazia and South Ossetia In July 2009, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel warning stating that citizens should only enter Abkhazia and South Ossetia through Georgia. During a September 2009 meeting in Lithuania, Lukashenko stated that Belarus should have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent long ago to support Russia. Lukashenko blamed a "witch-hunt against Belarus" over the cancelled $500 million loan and that "some in [the Russian leadership] wanted to bend us over, or did not want us to recognize these republics at all." In November 2009, Belarus dispatched parliament members to Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia to carry out the study. Georgia reacted by urging Belarus not to recognize the disputed regions as independent states. The cables also indicated that Lukashenko expressed concerns that rising Russian gas prices would force Belarus to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Lukashenko stated, "Crimea, just like Ossetia, Abkhazia and other regions, is not an independent state. Today Crimea is [de facto] part of the Russian Federation. No matter whether you recognize it or not, the fact remains." Russian checkbook diplomacy Since the Milk War, Russia has engaged in "checkbook diplomacy" and paid multiple states for their recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In September 2009, Venezuela became the third state to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent. A week later, Russia signed "multibillion dollar economic and arms trade deals" with Venezuela, described by the Jamestown Foundation as a "recognition fee". In May 2011, Vanuatu recognized Abkhazia; Vanuatuan politician Joe Natuman has stated that Russia gave Vanuatu $50 million for the recognition. In May 2018, Syria recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia; Russia has been providing Syria with military support to fight its civil war since 2015. ==Later trade disputes==

2013 threat and 2017 temporary ban 's concerns for dairy farmers in Tatarstan coincided with another ban on Belarusian dairy products In August 2013, Vladislav Baumgertner, CEO of Russian potash producer Uralkali, was arrested in Minsk for involvement in an alleged criminal scheme after Belarus invited him for talks. In October 2013, Russia banned dairy imports from Lithuania, with Onishchenko citing quality concerns. The ban was seen as an effort to put political pressure on Lithuania, which then held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, for planning to host an EU summit that would offer closer economic ties to several post-Soviet states. In January 2014, the restrictions were lifted. In 2014, the EU and US imposed sanctions on Russia because of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia responded by banning the import of certain foods from Western countries. Russia lifted the ban later in the month. 2018–2019 dairy ban On February 16, 2018, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and expressed his concerns that local farmers were suffering losses because dairy production had been shifted to cheaper labor for milk powder in Belarus. On February 20, Medvedev made a public call for Russia to prioritize its domestic dairy industry, specifically in Tatarstan, instead of depending on other Eurasian Economic Union members. In the address, Lukashenko called out "those milk, meat, and sugar wars our closest partner has launched against us in order to block our goods from entering the Russian market". In May 2019, the ban on the import of milk in bulk from Belarus to Russia was lifted. However, the ban on some Belarusian dairy products remained in place. == See also ==