Ukraine will transport about 11.36 million tons of Russian oil via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline in 2024, Ukraine's ExPro news agency reported.
According to data, the volume of Russian oil transportation via the Druzhba pipeline has decreased by 16% compared to 2023, which is the lowest figure since 2014.
Russian oil supplies to Hungary were the largest - more than 4.7 million metric tons, almost unchanged from the same period last year. In addition, 3.9 million tons of Russian oil were shipped to Slovakia (down 15%) and 2.7 million tons to the Czech Republic (down 35%).
According to ExPro estimates, Ukraine receives nearly 10 billion hryvnia ($250 million) for the transit of Russian oil, with the revenue reaching over $255 million by 2023.
Oil shipments from Russia via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline will continue in January 2025.
The news agency said that the average daily volume of Russian oil transported in the first week of January 2025 was about 34,900 tons, an increase of 14% compared to December 2024.
The contract for the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline is valid until 2030. After Ukraine refused to extend the gas transit agreement that expired at the end of 2024, the fate of the Russian oil transit contract has received special attention.
Last August, Ukraine floated the idea of halting Russian oil transit but quickly reaffirmed its commitment to existing contracts. Experts say terminating the Russian oil transit deal would pose more complex legal challenges than the Russian gas transit deal.
Last week, the Espreso television station reported that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal informed the country's parliament that stopping oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline would be a direct violation of Ukraine's Energy Charter and Association Agreement with the EU.
"Stopping Russian oil transit through Druzhba is a violation of the association agreement, not a penalty," he said.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also noted that, under current measures, Russian oil is still transported through this pipeline to European countries such as Hungary and Slovakia.
If Ukraine stops transiting Russian oil, affected countries could potentially file for international arbitration to resolve the dispute, leading to a halt in financial aid from the EU.
