International press review
In the spotlight: the suspension of Russian oil deliveries to certain European countries
Audio 04:48
An employee works at the Druzhba oil pipeline site in the Czech Republic, August 10, 2022. © REUTERS / David W Cerny
By: Sébastien Duhamel Follow
4 mins
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Like yesterday Tuesday, August 9, between Greece and Turkey, it is still today a story of hydrocarbons.
"
Oil doesn't flow
," reads the
Aktuálně
site in the Czech Republic.
Same music in Slovakia: "
The oil has stopped flowing
", writes the
Pravda
website .
Since August 4, explains
Aktuálně
, “
Ukraine has stopped the transit of Russian oil through the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline
”.
It has therefore been six days since deliveries of black gold were suspended to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but also to Hungary.
The northern branch of the pipeline still supplies other European countries, such as Germany.
The reason for this cut,
Aktuálně
develops , is that the transit bill falls to the Russian operator Transneft, which manages the pipelines, but it cannot pay because of European sanctions.
“
The August payment, sent in July to the Ukrainian operator UkrTransNafta has been returned to its account
,” it reads.
A cut without major consequences
However, this situation should not have serious consequences.
In Slovakia,
Pravda
wonders: “
what will happen next, what are the crisis scenarios?
The country is "
now faced with two scenarios: either the financial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is resolved and oil will continue to flow into Slovak territory, or Slovakia will have to resort to its strategic oil reserves
".
In the Czech Republic, an expert wants to be reassuring: “
households and businesses are not in danger
".
They will not be affected, he assures us, stressing that Prague has three months of strategic reserves and that Druzhba is not the only way of transporting oil.
He shares the Czech pipeline operator's optimism, having said deliveries should resume in a few days.
A solution is already on the table.
The Russian newspaper
Kommersant
also states: “
Deliveries should resume soon
”.
An expert explains that "
the easiest way
out of this situation
" is for the recipients of the oil to pay the bill to Ukraine for the transit, and not Russia, the shipper.
However, all the parties would have agreed on such a device, the Ukrainian authorities have accepted that the Slovak and Hungarian companies regulate the transit.
But
Kommersant
also wonders about the Ukrainian motives in this affair.
"
In May, the adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of Energy, Olena Zerkal, directly qualified the Druzhba pipeline as a lever of pressure on Hungary
", recalls the Russian newspaper.
So, at first glance, "
the situation does not look like a political decision taken by Kiev, but more simply the complexity of the bureaucracy
", but it could also be "
an attempt to punish Hungary for its too independent policy: the country slows down the adoption of the sixth sanctions package and ensured that the oil supply
"Druzhba"
was removed from the embargo of the
», emphasizes
Kommersant.
Donald Trump's new setbacks
The American press is obviously talking about it, but the file once again goes far beyond borders.
“
Trump on the warpath
,” headlines the
Guardian
in the UK.
Like newspapers around the world, it returns to the "
unprecedented
" search by the FBI of the private residence of the former American president, Mar-A-Lago, in Florida.
Investigators were looking for classified documents that Donald Trump could have taken home.
And this descent created “
a shock wave
” in the political system in the United States, analyzes the
Guardian
, fearing in particular the “
threats of revenge
” from the former president and his Republican allies.
In Italy, the
Corriere della Serra
thus titles on “
the fury of Trump
”.
But in Belgium,
Le Soir
sees it as "
a feigned anger
" and finally wonders if this FBI search "
would not be a gift from heaven
" for Trump, who claims to be the victim of political persecution.
However, we know that this is precisely its niche.
For
La
Vanguardia
in Spain, the observation is not new, but it is certain: "
Trump's record is deepening divisions in the United States
".
Same observation for ABC, "
it still divides a little more
" the country.
Tennis legend Serena Williams on departure
We find another American on newsstands this Wednesday, August 10, and it is proof that she is a tennis legend.
She is almost everywhere.
On the front page of the
Times
, the
Daily Telegraph
or the
Guardian
in the United Kingdom… On the front page of
Corriere della Serra
or
La Repubblica
in Italy.
We even see it on the front page of the
Financial Times
and the
Wall Street Journal
, that is to say!
Tennis player Serena Williams is about to bow out.
The American champion has announced that she will possibly retire after the US Open.
And given the impact on newsstands today, we understand that it is a true legend that is leaving.
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