From January 2025, the transit of not only Russian gas but also Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukrainian territory will end, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in an interview for the Novyny.LIVE portal.
– In addition to (transit – ed.) gas, the Druzhba oil pipeline will also cease to operate on January 1, 2025 – Podolak announced in an interview published on the night from Thursday to Friday.
End of transit
According to him, EU countries such as: Slovakia, The czech republic and Hungaryreceived Russian oil through this pipeline. However, according to the EU resolution, these countries must diversify their oil supplies and stop transiting through Ukraine.
This also applies to gas – Podolak reminded, adding that certain quantities have been contracted, but the transit will end on January 1, 2025. He explained that if European recipients need gas from Kazakhstan or AzerbaijanUkraine can send it through its territory.
According to Podolak, Ukraine does not intend to extend the gas transit agreement with Russiawhich expires at the end of 2024, but is ready to discuss the transit of gas from other suppliers through its transmission system if Europe requests it.
Czechs reassure
The Czech government's plenipotentiary for energy security, Vaclav Bartuska, assessed that a potential interruption of oil flow through the Druzhba pipeline next year would not be a problem for the Czech Republic. Asked for a comment, Bartuska noted that “this is not the first time (when Ukraine announces the interruption of transit – ed.), this time they may be serious – we'll see”. The Czech state-owned pipeline operator MERO has invested in increasing the capacity of the TAL pipeline from Italian down German (connects with the IKL pipeline supplying the Czech Republic). From next year, this increased capacity will be sufficient to fully meet the demand of two domestic refineries. MERO reported that it plans to achieve the country's independence from Russian oil by early 2025. In 1962, Czechoslovakia was the first country to begin receiving oil shipped via the Druzhba pipeline. The transmission system consists of 8.9 thousand kilometers of pipelines, through which about 66.5 million tons of oil are transported annually.
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