Kazakhstan has confirmed the suspension of oil transit to Germany via Russia
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy, Yerlan Akkenzhenov, confirmed that the transit of Kazakhstani oil to Germany via Russia has been temporarily suspended.
According to him, transportation will not take place in May due to technical restrictions on the Russian side.
This was reported by Euronews.
Akkenzhenov said that the transit of Kazakh oil to Germany via Russia through the Druzhba pipeline will be suspended starting May 1 based on “information from unofficial sources,” noting that the transit of raw materials will resume “as soon as the issue of technical feasibility is resolved.”
“No official statements have been received from the Russian side so far, but we know from unofficial sources that this is true… For May, we have zero transit through the Adral-Samara section of the Druzhba pipeline and onward to the (German – ed.) Schwed refinery,” Akkenzhenov told reporters in Astana.
According to the minister, the Russian side, based on unofficial data, claims that it lacks the technical capacity to pump Kazakhstani oil. At the same time, Akkenzhenov himself suggests that the suspension is “most likely related to recent strikes on Russian infrastructure.”
The head of Kazakhstan’s energy ministry noted that the suspension of oil transit “currently applies only to May,” adding that Kazakhstan’s forecast for the second quarter “is based on the Russian side reporting zero volumes for all three months.” He also reported that he had held talks with his counterparts.
“As soon as the issue of technical feasibility is resolved, the transit of Kazakhstani oil will resume,” Akkenzhenov said.
He noted that Kazakhstan does not plan to cut oil production, given the current situation.
Kazakh media, citing Akkenzhenov, report that the untransported volumes of crude oil will be redirected to other routes.
Kazakhstani oil accounts for approximately 20–30% of consumption at the German “Schwed” refinery, and transit via the “Druzhba” pipeline constitutes a small share of the total volume of Kazakhstani oil exports.
Ukraine has resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.
Earlier, European Council President António Costa publicly thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for restoring the section of the Druzhba pipeline. Ukraine announced the completion of repair work following damage to the infrastructure caused by a Russian strike. The EU described this as the fulfillment of agreements.
The European Commission expects that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will soon officially announce the resumption of oil pumping through Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline.
