Germany's Habeck: Poland committed to crude supply in case of Schwedt nationalization

"Poland has helped a lot in the past to secure the oil supply in Germany, in eastern Germany," said Habeck. "Should this scenario develop differently now ...

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in Warsaw on Tuesday that Poland has given reassurances that it will continue to provide the Schwedt refinery with crude oil in the event that Germany nationalizes Rosneft's German activities.

Reuters reported this month that Berlin is preparing for a possible nationalisation of Rosneft's German activities, including its 54.17% stake in the Schwedt refinery, which the German government put under a trusteeship in September 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Habeck said on Tuesday that the process to dissolve the trusteeship has begun within the government and was at the hearing stage.

Germany has extended the trusteeship twice and needs to make a fresh decision in March, when the current trusteeship expires. "Poland has helped a lot in the past to secure the oil supply in Germany, in eastern Germany," said Habeck.

"Should this scenario develop differently now ... Poland is prepared to continue to support us." A Polish source familiar with talks on supplies for Schwedt told Reuters on Monday that Poland had reassured Germany two weeks ago that it could step in if Kazakh oil supplies were halted in possible retaliation for Berlin's moves against Rosneft.

According to the source, Poland told Germany that it could replace the whole Kazakh volume, about 1-1.2 million tonnes per year.

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