BERLIN, October 27. /TASS/. The German government has entered into negotiations with the US administration aiming to exempt subsidiaries of Rosneft, which are under the external management of German authorities, from new US sanctions, the newspaper Bild reported, citing its own sources. According to their information, the German Economic Ministry is responsible for conducting the negotiations from the German side.
The publication recalled that the sanctions could have immediate consequences for three oil refineries: PCK in Schwedt, Miro in Karlsruhe, and Bayernoil in Vohburg. The German authorities are most concerned about potential measures against the refinery in Schwedt (Brandenburg state), which supplies petroleum products to Berlin and the northeastern regions of the country. In particular, it supplies kerosene to Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BER).
"The German government is trying to secure an exemption for Schwedt, as was recently achieved when British sanctions were introduced. This is urgently necessary because Schwedt supplies fuel to many gas stations in eastern Germany and to BER airport," Jan Redmann, chairman of the Christian Democratic Union branch in Brandenburg, told the newspaper. According to him, the mentioned refinery is the "industrial heart of the entire northeast" of the region. "Its closure would be an economic catastrophe for Brandenburg," Redmann emphasized. The refinery’s works council informed the publication that if the US authorities do not respond to the German government’s request, the plant’s operations would have to be halted.
On September 8, the German government extended its management of Rosneft’s German assets, Rosneft Deutschland GmbH and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH, until March 10. The agency justified this step by the law on energy security. Thus, the Federal Grid Agency of Germany retains control over Rosneft Deutschland and the corresponding shares in three refineries — PCK in Schwedt, Miro in Karlsruhe and Bayernoil in Vohburg.
Earlier, the US Treasury imposed sanctions against Rosneft, Lukoil and their 34 subsidiaries. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the new sanctions will not cause problems for Russia, which has developed a stable immunity to such restrictions, but will send a counterproductive signal, including for the Ukrainian settlement.