Kazakh oil may again flow to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline if infrastructure restrictions are lifted. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Since May 1, Kazakh oil has been delivered to Germany via alternative routes. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan told the TASS news agency under what conditions a return to the previous scheme is possible.
"Currently, supplies of Kazakh oil along the Atyrau - Samara - Druzhba pipeline route towards Germany are temporarily suspended due to technical restrictions of an infrastructural nature on the transit side. If the existing infrastructure restrictions are eliminated, supplies may be resumed in the established order if there are appropriate agreements between all interested parties," the ministry said in response to an official request from the agency.
Suspension of Druzhba supplies
The suspension of supplies via Druzhba since May became known in April 2026. Then Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said that transit of Kazakh oil to the German city of Schwedt was not planned for May. According to him, the Russian side unofficially stated that there was no technical possibility for pumping oil along this route. Akkenzhenov noted that despite the growth in supplies, Kazakhstan covers only 20-30% of the needs of the German refinery in oil.
Alternative routes
After the suspension of supplies via Druzhba, Kazakhstan redirected part of the volumes through the Russian port of Ust-Luga and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The Ministry of Energy noted that the suspension of one route would not affect production volumes - oil can be redistributed to other directions.
History and plans
Kazakhstan began supplying oil to Germany via Druzhba in 2023. In 2026, it was planned to export about 3 million tons of oil along this route.