Fuel supply issues are temporary, government working to stabilize situation — Novak
He added that surplus petroleum products from Kazakhstan could be supplied to Russia if necessary
MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. The current fuel supply difficulties in Russia are temporary, and the government is doing everything possible to restore the domestic market as quickly as possible, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters, according to Izvestia.
"The situation is indeed temporary. The government is doing everything possible to restore full supplies to the domestic market as quickly as possible," Novak said.
He added that surplus petroleum products from Kazakhstan could be supplied to Russia if necessary. "In the current situation, we have agreed with our colleagues that, on the contrary, the surplus volumes available in Kazakhstan - although they are relatively small - could be supplied to Russia if necessary. This is, so to speak, a mutual interest aimed at ensuring the stable functioning of the domestic markets of both Russia and Kazakhstan," Novak said.
On July 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a government meeting that the country's fuel supply difficulties were temporary and that Russia's energy sector had a substantial safety margin.
Fuel production in Russia has been partially reduced as a result of attacks on oil refineries, although the situation has been stabilized to some extent, according to a report by Novak. Against this backdrop, the Russian authorities have imposed a ban on gasoline and diesel exports, while imports of petroleum products are set to begin in July. Major oil companies are prioritizing fuel deliveries to regions served by independent fuel retailers.
Earlier, Novak told TASS that Russia had accumulated sufficient fuel supplies to meet domestic demand, but panic buying had driven demand up by about 20%-30%. He noted that restructuring the logistics network to meet current needs would take some time.