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Chernyshov Denies Allegations of Blocking Oil Transit
On July 22, during a Zoom meeting with investors, Oleksiy Chernyshov, head of Naftogaz of Ukraine, denied allegations of blocking the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine. He assured that despite the new sanctions imposed on the Russian company Lukoil, the volume of oil transit remains stable.
Transit Volumes Remain Stable
According to Chernyshov, the oil transit volumes through Ukraine in July are in line with the standards of previous months and do not include Lukoil oil. In response to an investor’s question about possible solutions for transit issues to Hungary and Slovakia, Chernyshov explained: “Ukraine cannot transport Lukoil oil, but the overall transit volumes remain unchanged.” He also noted that the issue of transit is more political than related to a real oil shortage in Europe.
Ukraine Ready to Continue Transit
Chernyshov emphasized that Ukraine is willing to continue transit if current oil suppliers do not come under sanctions.
Recent Reports on Transit Stoppage
On July 17, Bloomberg published information about a supposed halt in oil transit to Hungary, citing Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who discussed the matter at a UN meeting in New York after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The reason given was the strengthening of Ukrainian sanctions against Lukoil.
Slovakia’s Stance and EU Confirmation
On July 18, Slovakia also reported a stoppage of Lukoil transit. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to block diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv did not stop blocking the transit of Russian oil.
However, on July 18, Ukrtransnafta’s press service confirmed that oil transit to the EU through Ukraine is proceeding as planned.
Oil Imports Through Druzhba Pipeline
Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic received an exemption from the European oil embargo from Russia and continue to import it through the Druzhba pipeline. These countries collectively purchase 1.1 million tons of Russian oil per month via the pipeline, which is approximately 250,000 barrels per day. Of this amount, Hungary and Slovakia each receive 450,000 tons per month, while the Czech Republic receives around 200,000 tons. Lukoil accounts for over a third of the Druzhba pipeline’s throughput.
Source: Forbes
