Belarus is falling fast into Russia’s waiting clutches.  The latest domino to fall is Belaruskali, the potash producer, 35% of which will be handed over to Sberbank as collateral for a $2 billion loan.  An analyst quoted by the Moscow Times said that the value of Belaruskali was ‘clearly way above $2 billion’, speculating that there is a power grab in the works for Suleiman Kerimov’s Uralkali.  Putin’s eager comments last week about welcoming Belarus into Russia were tempered by the caveat that any such move would be ‘the will of the Belarussian people’, but if the country’s ongoing financial emergencies continue to be met by a ready and willing Russia, there may not be time for such pleasantries.