Belarus is facing pressure from Russia to be a more submissive ally. Since 2014, Russia has been trying to coerce Belarus into accepting a "marketisation" of their relations, and has indicated that it no longer wants to subsidize the Belarusian economy in exchange for fleeting geo-political loyalty. In 2018, Russia linked the resumption of economic privileges to "deeper" political integration within the Union State, which the two countries nominally established 20 years ago. President Lukashenka has resisted these efforts, but the situation remains uncertain.
