The Russian and Belarusian prime ministers agreed on Saturday to hold the next meeting of the Union government in March.

According to a spokesman for the Russian head of government, Vladimir Putin and Sergei Sidorsky discussed energy and financial cooperation in a telephone conversation.

"Putin and Sidorsky have agreed to hold the next meeting of the Union government of Russia and Belarus in March in the city of Brest," Dmitry Peskov said

On Wednesday, Russia and Belarus signed an array of agreements on crude oil deliveries to the former Soviet state and transits to Europe.

Russia earlier offered to supply Belarus with some 6.3 million metric tons of oil for domestic consumption duty-free and demanded Minsk pay full import duties on crude it refines and transits to Europe, dropping considerable subsidies.

Belarus requested Russia to supply up to 30 million metric tons of oil duty free, saying it would otherwise increase transit fees for Europe-bound oil from $3.90 to $45.

Russian oil supplies via the ex-Soviet republic have continued throughout the dispute. A spat between Moscow and Minsk in 2007 led to disruptions in supplies to Poland and Germany.

Russia has had frequent disputes with its former Soviet neighbors over energy prices in recent years, as it has moved to bring tariffs closer to free market levels. The West has accused Moscow of using energy as a political tool in ties with Ukraine and Belarus, major transit nations for its natural gas and oil flows.

NOVO-OGARYOVO (Moscow Region), January 30 (RIA Novosti)