Europeans getting ready for energy crisis and going to Belarus for fuel without visa

We welcome foreign tourists who come to us. We are hospitable and friendly. We always empathize and sympathize. As these are our values.

Today it became known that Hungary declared a state of emergency due to the situation on the energy market. It is forbidden to export energy carriers and even the most common firewood from the country. The Hungarian government says that in autumn and winter Europe is likely to be short of natural gas, and residents are already getting ready for an energy crisis, which, according to experts, will cover most of Europe in autumn.

See what the inhabitants of the Eurozone countries themselves are saying in Ksenia Lebedeva's feature.

We have told you more than once that sanctions are a shot in the foot for the European citizen. And this is what foreigners themselves say. You will see their comments a little later. And now I would like to draw attention to the fact that many experts predict a further increase in inflation by at least 0.5% in the EU and the U.S. in the second half of this year. And at the beginning of the year, the consumer price index in the U.S. had already reached an annualized rate of 7.5% for the first time since 1982, while in the Eurozone it was a record 5.1%. Since, thanks to the Presidential Decree, Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians can enter Belarus without visas until next year, I went to the border to talk to those who decided to visit our country, learn about the goals and just talk to foreigners who are transiting, and how they are doing. Meet Mirek from Hajnówka, Poland.

Miroslav, resident of Poland:

There was a problem with an entry visa, to come, there was no such opportunity, and now you can go see without a visa, because the last time I was here was 2 years ago. I attended a church because I love churches, cathedrals, and historical monuments. I still want to come and see. I hope it's safe here. Really?

- Of course!

- I feel good here.

- Do you feel safe here? How do you feel in Belarus?

- OK, OK, I thought maybe it would be bad, but no.

- That's because your media there tells you that the situation here is heated.

- Yes, they say so, but it's OK here. The people are good, and you can talk to everyone. It's no big deal.

- How are things in Poland?

- Our fuel prices have gone up, fuel has gone up a lot.

- Is it better to buy here?

You bet! Of course it is.

As you can see, the man is out of phase with what he sees, because there, in Poland, the media tells people not go to Belarus, where a terrible dictator, and there are troops concentrated on the border, ready to attack at any time. It does not matter who, the main thing is to scare. After all, a visa-free entry to Belarus is like a lump in Duda's throat. And you've heard about the fuel, too. And here's what Vladimir from Druskininkai says, he came to Belarus with his mother, who has lived in London for many years.

Vladimir Zizevsky, Lithuania:

- We're here for the diesel.

- Are there many Lithuanians traveling here?

- There are lot’s of them. It makes great difference. While we pay 2 euros per liter, in Belarus the price is equal to 90 cents. It’s 2 times higher.

Irena, resident of the UK:

- I live in London. It's been 30 years since I've been here.

- You came here to visit your relatives, to buy stuff at the same time, right?

- Well, I bought embroidery, what else did I buy? ryazhenka, caviar.

Vladimir Zizevsky, Lithuania:

- Because there is no Russian caviar in Lithuania anymore.

You see, even Russian caviar from Belarus tastes better than Lithuanian caviar, as it no longer exists in Lithuania. Another foreigner talks about the quality of Belarusian products and affordable prices. However, his main purpose is to maintain a long-standing business relationship.

Matvey Prandota, resident of Poland:

- I make parts for bottling line equipment, for beer, for vodka, for juice. I drove to old customers to see what was in store for the future.

- Despite sanctions and some kind of inter-political squabbles, the relationship between businesses continue.

- You have to work, you have to think about what's going to happen in the future. You don't have to break up a good relationship in any way.

- Speaking of prices?

- You know the prices. We already have big inflation. And here the prices are more or less normal. The inflation is less.

I also visited a store in the border area. As it turned out, salt and flour are swept off the shelves. And mostly by Lithuanians. What's that all about?

Svetlana Molochko, head of the store:

- There are quite a few foreigners since they were allowed to pass freely across the border. I won't even tell you the amount per day, but quite a lot. And they buy everything little by little: salt, soda, grits.

- I see that the salt is already on display down here, because it's been already sold out today.

- Yes, yes.

- Is it actively in demand?

- Actively. Especially coarse salt

And here is another confession from a foreigner. This is Evgeny, going from Germany, where he has lived for about 20 years, to his relatives in Russia. He talks about how children were forced to draw Ukrainian flags in schools, and about where the German government is leading the country and how people feel about it.

Evgeny German, resident of Germany:

- Children in schools are also abused. Consequently, parents at home are likely talking in front of their children on, shall we say, unnecessary topics. I have these conversations with my children in a different way. I explain to them that this is directly world politics, in which they as children should not show themselves in any way. And, therefore, they should keep their neutrality, if the school tries to get them involved and makes them draw some Ukrainian flags. That's what I told my wife to tell the teacher to keep our children out of this political game. Our prices skyrocketed. They are only making things worse for their population. Everyone will tell you that. I don't know what it will lead to.

Remember the stories about Poles and Lithuanians being advised to take shower less often and start gathering brushwood for the winter-and this is no joke. In this case, to reduce costs, British experts, for example, advised not to use air conditioning in the car and drive with open windows. And in Germany, they were seriously discussing speed limits on the autobahns to 100 km/h in order to save fuel. According to most economic experts, oil prices above $100 a barrel is a bad signal for all countries. High energy prices are beginning to hinder the development of the global economy and are giving inflation a boost. So maybe it's time to end your sanctions, because the story does not bode well for its authors.