Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russia's actions were undermining the foundations of the Customs Union.

"The Russian leadership has in recent years decidedly embarked on a policy of pragmatism, on so-called market relations," Lukashenko said in an address to parliament and the nation.

The president said that Belarusian products were being squeezed out of the Russian market, creating obstacles to their transit to Asian countries.

The president also said higher energy prices were one way Belarus was being squeezed from the Russian market, complaining that oil prices were twice what they used to be, making it unprofitable to sell petrochemicals.

Relations between Moscow and Minsk have been soured by a series of economic disputes, including over Russian energy supplies.

Earlier this year the two ex-Soviet neighbors were involved in a dispute over oil supplies, as Moscow demanded Minsk pay full import duties on crude it refines and resells to Europe, dropping considerable subsidies.

Lukashenko also said that the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan would only be workable if the sides meet all their commitments and obligations.

RIA Novosti

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered the Defense Ministry to ensure the security of Russian nationals in Kyrgyzstan and step up the protection of Russian installations against possible attacks by looters, the Kremlin said.

Kyrgyzstan's authorities consider Belarus a friendly state and expect Minsk to ensure the security of the ousted president until a trial can be held, the interim government's chief of staff said on Tuesday.

Ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his family are currently in Minsk under the protection of the authorities, the Belarusian president said on Tuesday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to pay working visits to Austria April 24-25 and Italy on April 25-26, the government press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Russian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan denied earlier media reports that Russians were injured during Monday's violence in the northern suburbs of Bishkek, the capital of the Central Asian country.

The Japanese business community should take a more active role in large-scale energy projects in the Russian Far East region of Sakhalin, the region's governor said.

Kyrgyzstan's acting interior minister continues to serve despite reports that police protests in Bishkek had forced his dismissal, an interim government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Kyrgyzstan sees its future in the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, the first deputy head of the interim government said Monday.

Lawmakers of Ukraine's pro-presidential Party of Regions have submitted to the parliament a bill, allowing the use of Russian language in during legal proceedings.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will hold on Tuesday two separate meetings with leaders of Armenia and Uzbekistan to discuss a wide range of cooperation issues.

Five people were killed and at least 30 injured overnight in violent riots in the Kyrgyz village of Mayevka, outside of country's capital Bishkek, a Kyrgyz Health Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will make an annual address on the government's work in 2009 to the lower chamber of the Russian parliament on Tuesday.