Russia halts oil supplies to Poland

Russia has halted its crude oil supplies to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, the Polish state-owned oil refiner PKN Orlen reported on Saturday.

The Polish government has temporarily taken over Russian energy giant Gazprom’s shares in EuRoPol Gaz, the company that owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline, officials have said, citing security concerns.

EPA/Maxim Malinovsky

According to the company, the pipeline supplies have been exempted from European Union sanctions on Russia, introduced after that country launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine, slightly over a year ago.

The company’s CEO Daniel Obajtek said in a tweet on Saturday that Poland was fully prepared for a complete halt in deliveries. “Only 10 percent of all the crude oil we were importing was coming from Russia and we will import it from other sources instead,” Obajtek said.

He added that Poland has been diversifying its oil supplies over the last few years.

PKN Orlen also said that it is currently importing oil from the North Sea region, West Africa, the Mediterranean, as well as the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico.

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Source: PAP