NATO could destroy half of Russia's oil refineries without US - Polish MFA

According to him, European countries would be capable of inflicting serious damage on Russia's oil refining industry even without direct US involvement.

Sikorski assesses NATO's capabilities

The Polish minister made the remarks after a visit to Ukraine. Sikorski said that air superiority would allow NATO's European members to act against Russian targets without involving US forces.

"In the event of Russian aggression against NATO, thanks to air superiority, the air forces of NATO's European members could, even without US participation, destroy half of Russia's oil refineries faster than Ukraine has," the Polish foreign minister said.

Thus, Poland's top diplomat believes that in the event of a direct conflict, the capabilities of the Alliance's European members would allow them to strike Russia's oil refining infrastructure much more quickly.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has downgraded its forecast for Russian oil refining over the next 18 months, expecting output to average around 4 million barrels per day. This is roughly 30% below the pre-war level.

The IEA noted that Russia's oil refining industry is facing increasing difficulties due to regular Ukrainian drone strikes, while repairs to damaged facilities are being carried out only partially. As a result, the combined impact of attacks and ongoing repair work is gradually weakening Russia's entire oil refining system.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Sikorski's statement about NATO's air superiority over Russia. She called the Polish minister's remarks "Russophobia of the brain" and claimed that he had spoken about the possibility of a rapid Polish victory over Russia.

However, Sikorski was referring to a potential conflict between Russia and NATO, not a confrontation between Moscow and Warsaw.