Novak on Kazakhstan and "Friendship": The Germans refused our oil. So, they feel good

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed that from May 1, the supply of Kazakh oil to Germany via the Druzhba oil pipeline will stop. They amounted to 1.2 million tons per year.

Starting from May 1, Kazakh oil will be redirected to other routes.

"This is due to the technical capabilities of today," Alexander Novak said, Interfax reports.

According to the head of the Ministry of Energy, the relevant negotiations with the Kazakh side took place last week.

"The Germans have refused Russian oil, so everything is fine with them," Alexander Novak added about whether Germany will lose from stopping transit.

The Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan had previously assumed that supplies were stopped due to infrastructure problems after the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The PCK refinery in Schwedt receives Kazakh oil via the pipeline. The plant is one of the largest in Germany and serves the metropolitan region. The refinery was under the control of Rosneft enterprises, but the German government transferred them to the trust management of the Federal Grid Agency in 2022 and, as stated, expected the Russian company to find buyers for the assets.

"Existing options will be used to ensure the security of supplies in Germany," the German Economy Ministry said, according to Reuters. They believe that stopping the transit of Kazakh oil through Druzhba does not jeopardize the security of oil products supplies.

German Economy Minister Katerina Reiche said that there are options for oil supplies to refineries through Gdansk or Rostock in Poland. And the Federal Network Agency allowed regional price effects.