Transneft

Oil shipments from Russia through a critical pipeline to Czechia resumed on Aug. 12 after more than a week, the Czech pipeline operator Mero said.

Czechia became the last central European country after Slovakia and Hungary to receive deliveries from the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline after a problem over payments for transit was resolved.

The Russian state company "Transneft" announced that Ukraine has stopped the transfer of Russian oil through the "Druzhba" oil pipeline to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia since August 4.

According to the press secretary of the company, the reason is that the Russian side cannot pay for the transit under the conditions of sanctions imposed by Europe.

US oil giant Chevron is interested in the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and will try to convince the Bulgarian government that it should be built, according to Nikolay Tokarev, President of Russian pipeline company Transneft.

EU approves new sanctions - but delays them

BRUSSELS -- Member states of the European Union have formally approved new sanctions Russia, but will delay their application.

This will be done in order to "give Moscow time to continue its peace efforts."