MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Russia continues supplying oil to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline and it is interested in continuing deliveries same as those countries, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters.
"Supplies are underway now. We are working on making sure that they continue and that our partners who received oil via Druzhba, continue receiving it," he said.
Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic have never abandoned oil supplies from Russia and they would like them to continue, Novak added.
"Fundamentally, we are interested in supplying our energy resources, the more so as Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic have never abandoned those volumes," he said, adding that supplies would continue.
Earlier, Ukraine terminated Lukoil’s oil transit through its territory to Hungary and Slovakia because Kiev had put the company on its sanctions list. Hungary stated that it viewed Ukraine’s actions on the ban of oil supplies from Russia as unfriendly, adding that it would raise the issue at a meeting of the EU Council at the level of foreign ministers in Brussels on July 22.
Oil from Russia is supplied to Hungary and Slovakia over the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline passing through Ukraine and exempt from sanctions of the European Union.