Union State facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Union State Союзное государство (Russian) Саюзная дзяржава (Belarusian)
The Union State, with disputed territories in light green
Headquarters	8/5 Staraya Square, Entrance 3, 103132 Moscow, Russia
Largest city	Moscow 55°45′N 37°37′E / 55.750°N 37.617°E / 55.750; 37.617
Official languages	Belarusian Russian
Demonym(s)	Russians, Belarusians
Type	Supranational union
Member states	Belarus  Russia
Government	Supranational union (currently), confederation (proposed)
• Chairman of the Supreme State Council	Alexander Lukashenko
• Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Mikhail Mishustin
• General Secretary	Dmitry Mezentsev
Legislature	Supreme State Council and Council of Ministers
• Upper house	Supreme State Council
• Lower house	Council of Ministers
Formation
• Dissolution of the Soviet Union	26 December 1991
• Commonwealth of Belarus and Russia	2 April 1997
• Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus	8 December 1999
Area
• Total	17,332,786 km2 (6,692,226 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate	159,000,000
• Density	8.9/km2 (23.1/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$7.203 trillion
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$2.257 trillion
Currency	Belarusian ruble Russian ruble
Time zone	UTC+2 to +12
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Combined Belarus and Russian numbers, excluding annexed Crimea in March 2014 that is not recognized internationally.

The Union State is a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia, with the stated aim of deepening the relationship between the two states through integration in economic and defence policy. Originally, the Union State aimed to create a confederation; however, both countries currently retain their independence.

The Union State is based on a previous international treaty between Russia and Belarus made on 2 April 1997. Although it consists of only Russia and Belarus, other countries are allowed to join. The supranational union is ruled through the Supreme State Council and other governing bodies. As of 2025, the current president of the Supreme State Council of the Union is Alexander Lukashenko, who has held the position since 2000. The present goal of the Union State mainly focuses on economic integration, taxation, and integration of defence and intelligence apparatus.

History of formation

Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Boris Yeltsin signing the founding treaty of the Russian-Belarusian Union at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, 2 April 1997

Russian postage stamp commemorating the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus establishing the Union on 2 April 1996

The Community of Belarus and Russia was founded on 2 April 1996, following 1995 agreements that established a Russian military presence in Belarus. The basis of the union was strengthened on 2 April 1997 with the signing of the "Treaty on the Union between Belarus and Russia", at which time its name was changed to the Union of Belarus and Russia.

Several further agreements were signed on 25 December 1998, with the intention of providing greater political, economic and social integration.

Nevertheless, the nature of the political entity remained vague. Under pressure from his political opponents, who argued for a reunion of the two states, and from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who sought to tie his excessively weak economy to Russia's stronger one, Russian President Boris Yeltsin initiated the creation of the Union to harmonize the political and economic differences between the two countries. According to some observers, Lukashenko's intention was also to gain great power, becoming president of a future Russia-Belarus federation after Yeltsin's demise due to his all-time low popularity. However, after Yeltsin resigned, Vladimir Putin was elected in 2000 to succeed him as Russian president. There was also the Freedom March, a 1999 protest against unification in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Putin's election and the Freedom March forced Lukashenko to cancel his plans and maintain a balance between the independence of Belarus and Putin's increasing pressure for further integration of the two countries into the Union State.

The Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus was signed on 8 December 1999. The intention was to achieve a federation like the Soviet Union, with a common head of state, legislature, flag, coat of arms, anthem, constitution, army, citizenship and currency. The Union was ratified by the Russian State Duma on 22 December 1999 and the National Assembly of Belarus on 26 January 2000. On the latter date the Treaty and the Union came into effect.

Then Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev had put forward a similar proposal in 1994, envisioning the founding of a Eurasian union, but this proposal was not adopted until 29 May 2014 with the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Governing bodies and legal framework

The Treaty on the Creation of a Union State creates legal framework as constitutional act and establishes the following institutions

• Supreme State Council
• Council of Ministers
• Union Parliament
• Court of the Union
• Accounting Chamber

The Union State based on its founding treaties has exclusive jurisdiction over the creation of a single economic space and legal foundations for a common market, monetary union, single tax and pricing policy, unified development and procurement of defence equipment, unified system of technical support for the armed forces. Common command of regional military is further realized through many other documents based on this Union State jurisdiction, common border policy and other jurisdictions.

Besides exclusive jurisdictions of the Union State there are joint jurisdiction of the Union State and the subjects of the Union State that includes joint defence policy, harmonization and unification of the legislation of the subjects of the Union State, development of science, education, culture, formation of a common scientific, technological and information space, migration, working conditions and labor protection, social security, combating terrorism, corruption and others.

Outside the limits of the exclusive jurisdiction of the Union State and subjects of joint jurisdiction of the Union State and the subjects of the Union State, the subjects of the Union State retain the full completeness of state power.

Pavel Borodin was the first State Secretary of the Union. He was first appointed by the Supreme State Council on 26 January 2000 for a four-year term. In 2004 and 2008 his term was renewed for an additional four years, leaving office in 2011. Since then the office has been held by Grigory Rapota.

Union State is ruled through Supreme State Council of the Union. The Supreme State Council of the Union includes the member heads of states, respective governments, and both chambers of parliaments. Decisions on Supreme Council are made by principle of one state – one vote and presidents of states give that vote. Supreme Council includes the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Union that have an advisory vote. The President of the Supreme State Council is the head of one of the participating States on a rotation basis, unless the participating States agree otherwise.

Supreme State Council makes decisions on issues regarding the security of the member states of the Union including their collective protection from outside threats, the protection of the Union's borders, military development, and many other issues.

The Council of Ministers is composed of the member states' Prime Ministers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy, and Finance and the State Secretary of the Union. Permanent Committee of the Union State is formed as permanent working body of Council of Ministers. Current president of Council of Ministers is Mikhail Mishustin.

20th Anniversary of Russia Belarus Union Treaty

Parliamentary Assembly of the Union comprises two chambers – the House of the Union and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives should contain 75 deputies from Russia and 28 from Belarus, elected by the general populace of each. According to treaty, currently only House of the Union is formed and it consists of 72 deputies – 36 from Russia and 36 from Belarus. Before the elections for the House of Representatives of the Union State Parliament, the functions of the Union State Parliament are performed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 70 of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State of 8 December 1999. Regular sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly House of the Union are held twice a year and for Quorum at least two third is needed to be present. House of the Union Parliament has president and four vice presidents and 8 permanent committees for different areas of legislature. Current president of Parliamentary Assembly of Union is Vyacheslav Volodin On 12 December 2020, the 59th joint session of the House of the Union parliament was held to consider the Union State budget for 2021. in 4715,15 millions of roubles or approximately 61.631.112 US dollars

Court of Union should consist of nine judges appointed for six-year terms. But while provisions for court are given in adopted treaty court was not formed.

Accounting Chamber, is tasked with controlling the implementation of the Union State budget. It consists of 11 members appointed for a period of 6 years from among the citizens of the member states who have experience in control and audit who are appointed by the Parliament of the Union State on the proposal of the Council of Ministers. The Accounting Chamber establishes its own regulations, which are approved by the Council of Ministers.

Language

The official languages of the Union State are the state languages of the participating states. Russian is used as a working language in the common organs of the Union State.

Developments

Shortly after its inauguration, both member states seemed to have lost their enthusiasm for the Union, with first Russia, and then Belarus, restoring customs controls along their common border in 2001, effectively suspending the customs union until it was restored in 2010. Plans had also been set in motion to implement a common currency across the Union, but these have been postponed several times.

On 16 November 2010, it was announced by the Union State website that the Constitutional Act was 99% ready.

Common currency

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko promised to introduce a common currency on 1 January 2004. The currency was not introduced, and the plan was pushed back by one year. On 1 January 2005, the Union State again failed to introduce a common currency, and it was again postponed by one year, which, in 2006, happened once again. During a press-conference in Minsk on 2 February 2006, Pyotr Prokopovich, chief of the National Bank of Belarus, announced that a "common currency might be introduced in 2007". This, however, failed to occur in 2007. The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus announced that, starting in 2008, the Belarusian ruble would be pegged to the United States dollar instead of the Russian ruble.

Citizenship and freedom of migration

Union State grants citizenship to citizens in both states meaning that every citizen of the Russian Federation and every citizen of the Republic of Belarus is at the same time a citizen of the Union with the guaranteed right to move and reside freely within the territory of the other party, allowing Belarusian citizens to travel freely in Russia and have the right to settle there to work or study, and vice versa including possession, use and disposal of property on the territory of another state. The Union State does provide citizens of Russia and Belarus the right to work and permanently settle in either country without formal immigration procedures otherwise mandatory for foreign nationals. They retain their national passports and other identification papers.

Military

On 10 February 2009, Russia and Belarus implemented the first stage of joint military officer training programs designed to integrate the military structures of the countries. This military collective is called the Regional Forces Group of Belarus and Russia (RGF). The goal of these operations is to ensure cohesive training, practice and implementation of military interests for the nations, and were aimed at strategic and battle training taking place in February and March 2009. Furthermore, the military doctrine of the Russian Federation provides that "an armed attack on the state-participant in the Union State, as well as all other actions involving the use of military force against it," should be deemed "an act of aggression against the Union State", authorizing Moscow to "take measures in response". On 6 December 2024, Russia and Belarus signed a treaty about mutual security guarantees. The treaty was ratified by Russia on 28 February 2025 and by Belarus on 4 March 2025.

Proposed symbols

Proposed flag of the Union State

Since the formation of the Union State in 1997, Belarus and Russia have thus far failed to institute any symbols or even a flag for the Union State. There have, however been several proposals for flags and coats of arms.

Two proposals have been made for the flag of the Union. In all cases, they are modifications to the flag of the Soviet Union, but representing the state (not communism). In both cases, two gold stars are placed in the canton of the red flag (to represent the two states of the Union).

A proposed coat of arms is a modification of the double-headed eagle holding the coats of arms of Russia and Belarus.

A song called "Sovereign Union of Nations" (Russian: Державный союз народов Derzhavny soyuz narodov, Belarusian: Дзяржаўны саюз народаў Dzyarzhauny sayuz narodau) has been proposed as the Union's unofficial anthem. The song, which was modified from the National Anthem of the Soviet Union, refers to a wider union of the two nations.

2023 nuclear deterrence

In an interview aired by Russia's state television in late May 2023, Lukashenko stated that other countries who were willing to join the Union State would be given nuclear weapons: "If someone is worried ... (then) it is very simple: join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. That's all: there will be nuclear weapons for everyone." This was just a few days after he had confirmed that the movement of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus had begun and the Russian Defence Minister had said he was signing documents concerning the procedure for storing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the plan for which had first been announced by Putin in March.

25th anniversary of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State

On 6 December 2024, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State, signed on December 9, 1999, at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko expanded the defense and security cooperation between the two countries by signing the Russia-Belarus Treaty on security guarantees within the Union State.

See also

In Spanish: Unión de Rusia y Bielorrusia para niños