Lukashenko Warns Russia That Belarus May Start Using One Of Druzhba Pipes To Reverse Oil

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2020) If Belarus fails to receive enough oil from Russia in February, it will start pumping oil out of the pipe though which Russia currently transits its oil to Europe, in order to obtain the needed monthly oil volume of 2 million tonnes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday.

As many as 70 million tonnes of Russian oil are delivered to Belarus and to the western nations through the Druzhba pipeline annually, Lukashenko recalled.

"We pump the oil fairly and responsibly ... So if they fail to deliver [enough] in February, we will be collecting additionally to have 2 million tonnes," Lukashenko said, as quoted by the state news agency Belta.

He specified that he had already warned Russia that Belarus could resort to such measures.

Minsk studies the possibility to reverse oil from the European Union via a Druzhba pipe, Lukashenko added.