The Ukrtransnafta company is going to increase the tariff for the transit of Russian oil through the main pipeline of Ukraine – the southern branch of Druzhba, Kommersant writes, citing informed sources. According to one of the interlocutors of the publication, the rates will double – from 13.6 to 27.2 euros per ton.
Presumably, the changes will come into force on April 1, but there is no final decision, negotiations between the parties continue. The Russian Transneft, which pays for the pumping of export oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, told the publication that it was aware of Kyiv’s intentions, but did not know about the timing and parameters of the increase. The company also noted that Ukraine should coordinate this issue “first of all with importers – Slovakia and Hungary.”
The Ukrainian authorities attribute the increase in tariffs to the cost of restoring the pipeline infrastructure, which is being damaged by the fighting. At the same time, the newspaper’s sources suggested that Ukraine’s desire to raise tariffs may be due to the policy of Hungary, which does not want to give up buying oil from Russia. In addition, according to sources, in order to exclude Transneft from the financial scheme, the parties discussed the possibility of transferring transit bills directly to importing countries, but this option has not yet been agreed upon.
Source: Rosbalt
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