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Belarus suspends exports of light oil products to Ukraine, Poland, Baltic countries

Minsk earlier announced a sharp deterioration in the quality of oil coming from Russia through the section of the trunk oil pipeline Gomeltransneft Druzhba

© Viktor Drachev/TASS

MINSK, April 23. /TASS/. Belarus has temporarily suspended exports of light oil products to Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries, justifying this by low-quality oil supplies from Russia to Belarusian oil refineries, Deputy Director General of the Belarusian Oil Company (BNK) Sergey Grib said on Tuesday.

"At the moment contractual obligations are suspended until the issue with Russian oil is resolved," he said. Grib noted that "supplies of light oil products - gasoline and diesel fuel - to Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries has been suspended."

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"Decline of exports occurs in order to ensure full domestic market," he explained. At the same time, he clarified that "those products that are not consumed in the markets of neighboring countries, the so-called heavy oil products, we sell through the Baltic Sea ports towards the countries of the so called "far arc" region (Asia, Africa and Latin America)." Grib said that the company is now working to ensure that no sanctions from contractors follow the suspension of light oil products exports. He added that the Belarusian side is "in the process" of assessing damage from suspending exports of oil products.

On Friday, April 19, Belarus announced a sharp deterioration in the quality of oil coming from Russia through the section of the trunk oil pipeline Gomeltransneft Druzhba. The company informed operators of the Druzhba main oil pipeline from other countries about the current situation. The source of pollution was found on the Samara-Unecha section of the Druzhba pipeline.

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