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Expert: Ukrainian ban on purchase of petroleum products from Russia to be brief

The government of Ukraine on Friday, 8 April, will review banning the import of Russian oil

© Viktor Drachev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Ukraine ban on purchase of petroleum products from Russia will be brief, even if Kiev introduces it, President of the Union of Oil & Gas Producers of Russia Gennady Schmal told TASS on Wednesday.

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"In general, it cannot continue for a long time. There is common sense, economic calculations. I think that sooner or later they will start counting their money and understand that it is easier, better and more reliable to deal with Russia," he said.

Earlier Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the government of Ukraine on Friday, 8 April, will review banning the import of Russian oil.

Schmal noted that the ban will not affect Russian oil exporters. "It will affect Ukrainian people, not Russian companies. The fact is that Ukraine is already has very high prices, much higher than in Russia, and if they refuse supplies from Russia, where they will get oil?" he said.

According to the Russian State Statistics Service (Rosstat), in 2015 Ukraine received about 2 mln tonnes of petroleum products from Russia for more than $1 bln. Over 60% of deliveries in 2013-2015 accounted for middle distillates, i.e. "semi finished product" for fuel production. Supplies of gasoline in the past year amounted to about 10,000 tonnes.

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