Reuters reported that Slovakia and Hungary have said they have stopped receiving oil from their main supplier Lukoil after Ukraine imposed a ban on the Russian oil and gas company's oil transit through their territory last month.
The move highlights the unstable nature of Russia's remaining oil supplies to Europe via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline - the final major route for Russia's oil to the continent.
Both Slovakia and Hungary have said they are still receiving oil from other Russian companies despite Lukoil's suspension of supply.
Slovakia's oil transport company Transpetrol confirmed that deliveries from Lukoil have stopped but supplies from other Russian exporters are coming to Slovakia via Ukraine.
The Slovakian Ministry of Economy also said that oil transportation from Lukoil - Russia's second largest oil producer - has stopped flowing to Slovakia via Ukraine after the company was included in Kiev's sanctions list.
However, the ministry said it had arranged deliveries from another supplier and was discussing the issue with Ukrainian partners.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that Russian gas is still being transported to Hungary via the TurkStream gas pipeline in the Black Sea, but Lukoil is no longer transporting crude oil through Ukraine.
Due to the new legal situation in Ukraine, Lukoil no longer supplies oil to Hungary and we are studying a solution to restart the oil transportation process because Russian oil is important for our energy security, Szijjarto said.
According to industry sources, about 1.1 million tons of Russian oil per month, equivalent to about 250,000 barrels per day, have been transported through the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline, of which about 900,000 tons are shared equally between Slovakia and Hungary.
The southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline runs through Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and has been the main supply for the country's refineries for many years. Rosneft, Lukoil and Tatneft are Russia's main exporters via the pipeline.
Two sources told Reuters that Russian Urals crude oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia has fallen sharply compared to expected volumes.
Oil supplies via pipeline to the Czech Republic continue as normal, while the flow to Hungary is slightly lower than planned.
Hungarian energy company MOL owns refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, both of which receive oil from the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline.
According to industry sources, Lukoil has a term contract with MOL, under which the company supplies about 4 million tons of oil per year to Hungary and Slovakia.
One source said that the lack of oil supply from Lukoil makes it difficult for MOL to continue operating stably.
MOL's Duna refinery in Hungary has more options for importing crude oil, such as by sea from the port of Omisalj in Croatia. Meanwhile, Slovakia's Slovnaft refinery is heavily dependent on Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline due to its location not adjacent to the sea.
Foreign Minister Szijjarto said the legal solution MOL is studying will allow Lukoil to transport crude to Hungary via Ukraine and Belarus.
