"What kind of union can we talk about?" Lukashenka in Astana criticized Russia for imposing recycling fees
Russia is promoting the unification of prohibitive fees on the import of foreign cars throughout the EAEU, trying to protect its "AvtoVAZ" from competition, but even Alexander Lukashenka dared to openly criticize it for this.
Alexander Lukashenka in Astana. Photo: Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
"Everyone has closed themselves off so tightly that a mouse cannot get through. Recycling fees will soon exceed the cost of the cars themselves... Why are we doing this, what kind of union can we talk about?" — stated Lukashenka, speaking at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana.
He also recalled that when the union was created, there was talk of jointly attracting investments in the development of the component base.
Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov commented on this statement:
"This is Alexander Grigoryevich's position, and everyone respects it. Not everyone agrees with us. This is criticism directed at us. Yes, and this is a reason for work both bilaterally and multilaterally."
In Russia, a large-scale increase in recycling fees and a change in the rules for their calculation occurred on December 1, 2025. Later, Kazakhstan made a decision to increase the rates. In Belarus, recycling fees increased by 7% at the end of April 2026.
From April 1, Russia regulated the import of cars through Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The single recycling fee formula is now tied to the indicators of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which affects the final cost of the car for buyers from Russia. In early May, Kazakhstan introduced a "mirror" recycling fee on cars imported from Russia.
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усё імперыю пад нож як ў 1991 і 1917 ...