Czech minister says he is ready to abandon Russian oil

Prague will support a ban on Russian supplies if the EU implements plans for joint oil purchasesand accumulate reservesand also, in fairness, will “share the pain” of the consequences of the rejection of Russian raw materials Josef Sikela

The Czech Republic is ready, under certain conditions, to refuse to purchase oil from RUSSIA until the end of this year and support the imposition of an embargo on its imports to the EU countries, Industry Minister Josef Sikela said, Ceske Noviny reports. He also added that Prague is not going to pay for Russian gas in rubles, as Prime Minister Petr Fiala said earlier.

Prague will support a proposal to stop buying Russian oil if the EU manages to implement plans for joint purchases of raw materials, and the community countries have reserves to cover a possible shortage in the European market, he said after an extraordinary meeting with EU ministers in charge of energy issues.

“If the principle is that we should share this pain [withdrawal of oil from Russia] fairly, then I can imagine that we will support these sanctions,” Sikela said, referring to the possible economic problems associated with cutting off supplies from Russia. .

The Czech Republic announced its refusal to pay for Russian gas in rubles Politics

According to the minister, the Czech Republic still intends to pay for gas in euros, and Prague buys most of it on Western European stock exchanges. “The only Czech company that buys gas directly from Russia is ČEZ,” Sikela said, noting that it will also pay in euros.

The Czech authorities announced on April 29 that Prague would not pay for Russian gas in rubles, calling this demand blackmail. As Prime Minister Fiala noted, the Czech Republic will resume negotiations with Poland on the construction of the Stork II gas pipeline, which should unite the gas transportation systems of both countries.

On May 1, Sikela reported that gas storage facilities in the Czech Republic were 30% full, a record high for the day. By the end of the month, the authorities hope, the reservoirs will be half full, and before the start of the heating season - by 80%.

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Since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the EU countries have imposed five packages of sanctions against Russia. In mid-April, the HEAD of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the work on the sixth package, in which Brussels considers issues related to the energy sector. It includes a "definite ban" on Russian oil imports and the exclusion of several Russian banks from SWIFT, according to BLOOMBERG and Politico. According to The New York Times, the EU could agree on new measures this week.

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