EU countries order more Russian oil – Transneft

The crude sent through the Druzhba pipeline does not fall under the EU embargo

Germany and Poland have requested pipeline oil deliveries from Russia for 2023, the head of state oil supplier Transneft, Nikolay Tokarev, said in an interview with Russia 24 TV on Monday.

Both countries had previously said they would give up pipeline supplies of Russian oil by the end of the year.

According to Tokarev, Warsaw expects to receive 360,000 tons of Russian crude this December and 3 million tons more in 2023. He added that Berlin has also placed an order for the first quarter of next year, but did not specify the volume requested.

In November, reports emerged that Poland intended to push for EU sanctions against the northern string of the Druzhba pipeline, through which both Poland and Germany receive Russian oil, to obtain the legal grounds for unilaterally terminating existing contracts with Moscow without penalties. Poland’s largest oil refiner, Orlen, has a contract with Transneft for 200,000 tons of oil per month, which expires in December 2024. Earlier this year, Berlin also said it would stop purchasing oil via Druzhba on December 31.

“They announced that they would not take oil from Russia as of January 1. However, we have already received requests to pump it through the Druzhba pipeline from Poland and Germany next year,” Tokarev stated.

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The EU embargo on Russian oil, which came into force on December 5, does not apply to the Druzhba pipeline, targeting only seaborne shipments. The southern leg of the pipeline delivers oil to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, which are heavily reliant on Russian supplies.

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