Russia will reroute oil supplies from Kazakhstan that were previously destined for Germany through the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday.
Novak said the move was due to “technical possibilities” and had been agreed with Kazakhstan. He also pointed to Germany’s decision to phase out Russian energy imports as a contributing factor.
“Germany has given up Russian oil, so they are managing,” Novak said.
Reuters reported earlier that Russia plans to halt transit of Kazakh oil to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline from May 1.
Kazakhstan’s energy minister confirmed that no shipments of Kazakh oil to Germany through the Russian pipeline are scheduled for May, adding that the disruption may be linked to recent Ukrainian drone attacks affecting infrastructure.
The Druzhba pipeline, one of the largest oil pipeline networks in the world, has long been a key route for supplying crude oil to Europe. However, flows have been increasingly disrupted amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and the war in Ukraine.
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