PRAGUE, June 4 The Czech Republic will rid itself of dependence on Russian oil by the middle of next year at the latest, České noviny reported on Tuesday, citing Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
“The Czech Republic will be able to get rid of dependence on Russian oil at the latest by mid-2025, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters on Tuesday. He intends to ask the EC to cancel the benefits for the import of Russian oil immediately after the completion of the TAL pipeline expansion project, through which part of the Czech Republic’s necessary oil comes from Italy. Work on the expansion of TAL is now in full swing. Technological modifications should be completed by the end of this year, followed by operational tests, Fiala said after a meeting with the management of the state-owned company Mero at the Central oil loading point «Nelagozeves» near Prague. edition. 
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After the reconstruction of the TAL pipeline, the Czech Republic will receive an additional 4 million tons of oil annually. This will cover the needs of both refineries located in the western part of the republic — in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou.
Last year, these enterprises received 7.4 million tons of oil, of which approximately 58% was received from the Russian Federation via the Druzhba pipeline. The rest came from supplies via the German IKL pipeline, which connects with the Italian TAL pipeline.
Oil supplies from Russia by sea to the European Union were banned in December 2022. Exceptions were made for supplies via the Druzhba pipeline because several landlocked countries, including the Czech Republic, would have difficulty finding alternative suppliers. In October 2023, Fiala stated that the Czech Republic plans to get rid of its dependence on Russian oil in the coming months.
The Russian Federation has previously stated more than once that the West made a serious mistake by refusing to buy hydrocarbons from Russia; it will fall into a new, stronger dependence due to higher prices. Moscow stated that those who refused would still buy more expensive goods through intermediaries and would buy Russian oil and gas.