Another pipeline by way of the Adriatic Sea may be used to provide oil to all three international locations, in response to IHS Markit, a analysis agency. But it surely cautioned that the capability reaching Hungary and Slovakia may not be sufficient to completely cowl shortfalls if Russia absolutely lower off deliveries.
As of January, it estimated, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic had been receiving about 250,000 barrels a day from Russia by way of the pipeline.
Germany and Poland, on the northern finish of the pipeline, weren’t affected by the interruption, Transneft mentioned.
The value of Brent crude oil, the worldwide benchmark, rose on the information of the pipeline shutdown however later fell again, buying and selling 0.5 p.c decrease, at simply over $96 per barrel.
Since invading Ukraine in February, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has proven that he’s keen to make use of his management of the vitality spigot as leverage over Europe. He has additionally demonstrated his knack for holding his adversaries off-balance by sending blended alerts and attempting to play Western allies in opposition to each other.
Within the spring, Russia lower deliveries of pure fuel to a number of European international locations, beginning with Bulgaria and Poland after which including Finland. In June, on the day that the leaders of France, Germany and Italy visited Kyiv, these international locations reported a shortfall of deliveries of Russian fuel, as did Austria and the Czech Republic.
Flows by way of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, Europe’s essential shopper of Russian fuel, had been slashed by 60 p.c in June after which by 80 p.c in July. Moscow blamed the disruption on a pipeline element that was being refurbished by a German firm at a manufacturing facility in Canada, inflicting tensions between Ottawa and Berlin.
Benjamin Novak and Monika Pronczuk contributed reporting.
