Russia eyes halting Kazakhstan oil transit to Germany via Druzhba — Reuters
File photo: Russia wants to halt oil transit to Germany as early as May 1 (Getty Images)
Russia plans to halt transit from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1. Updated export schedules have already been sent to both countries, according to Reuters.
"Russia's political and business relations with Germany have been frayed by the conflict in Ukraine. Deliveries of Russian oil were halted after the start of the war and Berlin placed the local units of Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft under trusteeship in 2022," the agency writes.
Kazakhstan exports oil to Germany via the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Poland. Transit volumes through this pipeline have been growing: by the end of 2025, volumes reached 2.146 million tons, a 44% increase compared to 2024.
At the same time, the continuity of supplies has been repeatedly disrupted due to attacks by Ukrainian drones on the pipeline in Russia.
Kazakh oil is supplied via Druzhba to the German PCK refinery in Schwedt, which is one of the largest in the country.
The plant switched to this feedstock after Berlin stopped importing Russian oil in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Abandoning Russian oil
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, most EU countries halted purchases of Russian oil, though Hungary and Slovakia received temporary exemptions. The European Commission plans to completely phase out the remaining supplies by the end of 2027 at the latest.
Supplies of Russian oil to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline may resume in the near future, as infrastructure preparations are currently underway to resume operations after a prolonged hiatus.
