Russia Halts Oil Supplies To Poland

Russia has halted supplies of oil to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, PKN Orlen's CEO said on Saturday, adding that the Polish refiner would tap other sources to plug the gap, Marek Strzelecki and Jason Hovet reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Orlen said it could fully supply its refineries via sea and that the halt in pipeline supplies would not impact deliveries of gasoline and diesel to its customers.

The halt in supplies via the pipeline - which has been exempted from European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine - came a day after Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

"Russia has halted supplies to Poland, for which we are prepared. Only 10% of crude oil has been coming from Russia and we will replace it with oil from other sources," PKN Orlen Chief Executive Daniel Obajtek wrote on Twitter.

Orlen said it could fully supply its refineries via sea and that the halt in pipeline supplies would not impact deliveries of gasoline and diesel to its customers. As of February, after a contract with Russia's Rosneft expired, Orlen has been getting oil under a deal with Russian oil and natural gas company Tatneft.

Oil transport to the Czech Republic, where Orlen operates two refineries, via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline was running to plan, pipeline operator Mero said.

The supply halt came after US President Joe Biden visited Warsaw and Kyiv in a show of support for Ukraine a year after the invasion. And on Friday, the European Union agreed on a 10th package of sanctions on Russia.

Following the invasion of Ukraine and before the EU embargoed seaborne supplies from Russia, Orlen stopped buying Russian oil and fuels transported by sea.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic