Russia cuts pipeline oil supplies to Poland

In an unprecedented move, Russia on Saturday stopped pipeline oil supplies to Poland. However, the Polish refiner said only 10 per cent of its supplies come from Russia and they are replacing it with oil from other sources.

Russia halted supplies of oil to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline on Saturday. 

According to reports, PKN Orlen has said it could fully supply its refineries via sea and that the halt in pipeline supplies and the halt would not impact deliveries of gasoline and diesel to clients.

Druzhba has been exempted from sanctions which the European Union has imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sources reported.

The pipeline supplies oil to Poland, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia and it was excluded from sanctions to support countries with limited options for alternative deliveries.

Orlen stopped buying Russian oil and fuels via the sea following Russia's attack on Ukraine and before the European Union embargoed seaborne supplies from Russia.

The company's supply portfolio now includes oil from Western Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico, Reuters reported.