MOSCOW, March 1 Bulgaria has officially stopped purchasing Russian oil, the Novinite agency reported.
“»From March 1, enters into The decision according to which Bulgaria officially stopped using and importing Russian oil for fuel production comes into force,” the material noted.
It was initially planned that the country would use Russian oil until the end of the year, but Bulgarian parliamentarians decided to shorten this period, trying to avoid “financing Russia amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.”
In 2022, leaders The EU reached an agreement to introduce a partial oil embargo against black gold sold by Moscow. At the same time, Bulgaria was then, as an exception, allowed to process Russian oil delivered by sea until the end of 2024.
According to a secret report prepared for the parliament of the republic and obtained by Politico, the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas has earned almost a billion dollars since the introduction of the benefit on February 5, 2023. In turn, Lukoil stated that it pays taxes on time and fully fulfills its obligations to the budget of the republic. However, due to Sofia's desire to limit transactions with Russian oil, the company indicated that it would reconsider the strategy regarding its assets in Bulgaria, without excluding the possibility of selling its business in this country.
Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said that the authorities’ decisions regarding the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas have nothing to do with the civilized regulation of large businesses. She warned that this enterprise could not be purchased at a reduced price, despite all the restrictions on its activities.
Oil sanctions by Western countries against Russia came into force on December 5, 2022: the European Union stopped accepting Russian oil transported by sea, and The G7 countries, Australia and the EU have introduced a price limit for sea transport at $60 per barrel — more expensive black gold is prohibited from being transported and insured. In response, President Vladimir Putin by decree prohibited, from February 1, 2023, the supply of oil to foreign parties if the contracts directly or indirectly provide for the use of a mechanism for fixing the maximum price.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that the country will cope with the sanctions pressure that the West began to have an impact on Russia several years ago and continues to intensify.