Unipetrol says no Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic

Prague: Russian crude oil flows through the Czech Republic Druzhba pipeline Stopped Thursday, refiner Unipetrol said.
A spokesman said Unipetrol, a subsidiary of Poland’s Orlen, did not know the reason for the stoppage, which it said was confirmed for the first time on Tuesday.
Refining at the Litvinov refinery, which uses Russian crude, was running through the company’s reserves which could last up to a week before the state tapped the reserves, he said.
The Czech government on Wednesday approved the loan of 330,000 metric tons of oil from state reserves to Unipetrol.
Unipetrol and state officials have said the Druzhba halt has not affected the supply of products to the Czech market. In 2019, the country weathered a two-month interruption of flow through the Druzhba without affecting fuel supplies.
Czech pipeline operator Mero said on Thursday that it was still investigating the delay in the Druzeba delivery.
The country imports Russian crude and other crudes via the Druzhba through the TAL pipeline, which runs from Italy to Germany and the Czech Republic.
It wants to stop all Russian oil imports from July next year as it completes capacity expansion of the TAL pipeline.
The impromptu disruption comes as European countries discuss a possible extension of EU exemptions from sanctions on Russia that allow the Czech Republic to import diesel and other products made from Russian oil made in neighboring Slovakia.
The exemption expired on Thursday, but diplomats said talks would continue on Friday.
The Czech Republic has said it is not asking for the exemption to continue but Slovakia is keen to keep it in place.
If other countries are keen to extend, the Czech Republic could agree to a six-month extension on Slovak diesel imports, in line with the expected end of Russian crude supplies, the sources said.