Russia says Belarus union faces problems

The Russian prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, has said that a union with Belarus is a long way from being fully realised because of Belarus's poor economic state.

Speaking on a visit to Minsk, intended to strengthen ties bewteen the two countries, Mr Kasyanov said the problems facing the union between the two countries formed in a treaty at the end of 1999 were still the same; he singled out inflation which reached over one-hundred-percent in Belarus last year, as well as the poor growth in investments in the country.

Last November Russia and Belarus agreed to introduce the ruble as a single currency for the two nations in 2005.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service