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Russian Energy Ministry expects clean oil to reach Hungary and Slovakia this week

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia suspended crude oil supplies from Russia through the Druzhba oil pipeline

© Maxim Slutskiy/TASS

MOSCOW, May 22. / TASS/. The arrival of Russian oil that meets technological quality standards in Hungary and Slovakia is expected within a week, negotiations on the restoration of transit in the direction of Poland continue, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In accordance with the roadmap, the standard oil continues to move towards the border of Hungary and Slovakia. Within a week, it is expected to be phased in to the relevant metering stations," the statement said. At the same time, negotiations with the Polish side to resume standard oil pumping in the direction of the Adamov Zastava metering station continue.

The roadmap for restoring clean oil pumping through the Druzhba pipeline to European buyers was developed in Minsk on April 26 at a meeting of representatives of the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish sides and updated on May 14 in Bratislava by the same participants together with representatives of the Hungarian and Slovak parties. To date, oil supply has been restored. corresponding to the standard indicators of the content of organochlorine compounds in the direction of the port of Ust-Luga and to the Belarusian refineries.

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Minsk ready to resume transit oil pumping from Russia

On April 19, the Belarusian petrochemical company Belneftekhim reported a sharp deterioration in the quality of the Russian oil running through the pipeline. Both Belarusian refineries - the Mozyrsky refinery (Gomel region) and Naftan (Vitebsk region) - reported the risk of equipment facing damage and almost halved the refining volumes. On April 23, Belarus was forced to halt exports of light oil products to Ukraine, Poland and Baltic countries due to deliveries of poor quality oil.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia suspended crude oil supplies from Russia through the Druzhba oil pipeline. The pollutant was revealed at the Samara-Unecha section. Russia’s Energy Ministry referred to technical issues as the reason for the contamination of the oil, saying that the problem would be ironed out quickly. A criminal case was initiated in connection with the incident.

Supplies of clean Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Belarus resumed on May 2. Ukraine resumed oil transit to Europe on May 11. Transneft pipeline operator reported that the supply of standard oil to Slovakia and Hungary will resume between May 21 and May 24. In the near future, the resumption of deliveries to Poland and Germany is also expected.

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