The Belarusian economy has been stuck in a recession for more than two years, thanks in large part to its close ties to Russia's own foundering economy. When oil prices plunged in 2014, not long after the West slapped sanctions on Russia for its role in the eastern Ukraine conflict, the Russian economy entered a downward slide that it has yet to reverse. Because Belarus relies on Russia for much of its trade, investment and energy imports, its economy was dragged down with Russia's, and in 2015, Belarus' gross domestic product contracted by 3.9 percent before shrinking again by an estimated 3 percent in 2016. Belarus' heavy dependence on its struggling foreign partner forced it to adjust its strategy abroad.