Russia stopped pumping oil to Poland through the Druzhba pipeline

Polish oil giant Orlen announced on Saturday that the Russian side stopped pumping oil to it through the Druzhba pipeline under the latest contract in force, which covered about 10 percent of Orlen's needs.

"The Russian side has stopped deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline to Poland," the Polish group said in a statement.

This comes a day after the European Union approved new sanctions targeting the Russian economy and Iranian companies accused of supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, which began a year ago.

The Orlen Group stressed that this interruption will not affect the supply of Polish customers and that "all supply operations (from now on) can be secured by sea."

For several years, Poland has diversified its gas and oil sources considerably.

According to Polish Deputy Minister of State Assets Maciech Malicki, the contract with Russia's Tatneft Group, which expires at the end of 2024, covers "about 10 percent of Orlen's needs," i.e. 200,<> tons of oil per month.

Maliki confirmed that the contract with Tatneft was the "only" still valid.