MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/: Belarus will not be able to buy 2 million tonnes of oil from Russia at a price of $4 per barrel, if there is no corresponding market supply, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the statements of Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas.
"This is a matter of market conditions. We always talk about the market situation. If such a time comes when there are offers at such prices, then it will be possible to buy it [oil at such a price], but if this time doesn’t come, or even if it comes, but there is no supply [on the market], it won’t work. It all depends on the market situation," the Kremlin official said.
On April 2, the Belarusian prime minister announced that the republic plans to buy 2 mln tonnes of oil from Russia at the price of $4 per barrel in April. Rumas assumed that on April 2, the Belneftekhim company would complete talks with Russian oil companies about the supplies for this month.
Earlier this year, Belarus stopped buying Russian oil and demanded that the price formula be changed. Minsk claimed that under that formula Belarusian refineries paid a premium to Russian suppliers in addition to the price itself for the fact that they received crude duty free. The amount of the premium was agreed individually for each company, but the maximum premium was $12 per tonne to export netback (the price of oil in the Baltic ports excluding transportation costs).
The Safmar Group was the only oil supplier that continued to deliver crude to Belarusian refineries. Belarus also continues to buy oil from traders, supplying it via the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania). Minsk also buys Azerbaijani oil through the port of Odessa (Ukraine) and via the Odessa-Brody pipeline.
