Kremlin says Lukashenko did not consult it on threat to cut Russian gas supplies

FILE PHOTO:Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko chairs a meeting with the leadership of the Council of Ministers in Minsk, Belarus November 11, 2021. Nikolai Petrov/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had not consulted Moscow before raising the possibility of cutting natural gas flows to Europe, and that Russia was a reliable exporter that fulfilled its obligations.

Lukashenko threatened on Thursday to retaliate against any new European Union sanctions over a migrant standoff on the Belarus-EU border, including by shutting down the transit of natural gas and goods via Belarus.