Russian oil in Poland accounts for about 10% after the country cut imports due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The country’s oil companies promise to easily replace it with oil from other directions.
The largest Polish oil company PKN Orlen SA has stopped receiving oil through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia, informed CEO Daniel Obaitek on Twitter.
“We effectively ensure the supply of raw materials. Russia has stopped oil supplies to Poland, for which we are fully prepared,” he wrote.
The cessation of deliveries under Orlen’s contract with Transneft reflects a similar move by Gazprom, which unexpectedly cut off natural gas supplies to Poland last April. It won’t affect consumers, which she says she’s prepared for. The company did not name the reason for the situation.
Poland has repeatedly said it plans to completely stop importing Russian oil, but it needs European sanctions to be able to terminate the only remaining contract with the Russian supplier.
The northern section of the Druzhba pipeline, which goes to Germany, has so far been mainly used by Orlen.
What is the Druzhba oil pipeline?
“Druzhba” is one of the largest oil pipelines in the world, with a length of about 5500 km. It originates in the city of Almetyevsk (Republic of Tatarstan, Russia), after which it passes through Samara (RF) and Bryansk (RF) to Mozyr (Belarus). In Mozyr, the “pipe” is divided into a southern branch that passes through Ukraine and leads to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and a northern branch to Poland and Germany.
However, Europe will not be left without oil: Kazakhstani resources will replace Russian oil supplied through Druzhba, which the EU pledged to stop buying as part of broader sanctions imposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The first batch of oil, according to Kazakh Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov, will be sent “as soon as possible”, in the coming days.
As we wrote earlier, the prerequisites for an economic crisis are growing in Russia – the budget deficit is increasing, the aggressor’s income is affected by the restriction of oil prices and the embargo on Russian oil products in the EU.
On February 5, the West imposed an embargo on the import of petroleum products from the Russian Federation. But the restrictions do not apply to Russian deliveries to third countries.
Meanwhile, China is increasingly buying Russian oil: supplies have reached a record for the last 3 years.
