The authorities of Germany, Russia, and the USA are discussing the resumption of oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Germany, investigators from the publication Correctiv found out with the participation of Important Stories*.
For this, American firms will buy out the German subsidiary of Rosneft Rosneft Deutschland its share (54.17%) in the PCK refinery in the city of Schwedt near the German-Polish border, according to interlocutors familiar with the course of negotiations. Its capacity is 11.5 million tons of oil per year, and the company reports that 9 out of 10 cars in Berlin and Brandenburg are currently fueled with gasoline made by PCK. In September 2022, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government took the refinery under temporary management and planned to nationalize it.
In addition, the USA is interested in purchasing Rosneft's shares in Germany's second-largest refinery Miro (24%) and in the refinery of the company Bayernoil (28.57%) in the south of the country.
At the end of February, the German government confirmed that Rosneft Deutschland indeed wants to sell off assets in the country and complete deals by the next date for extending temporary management, that is, by September 2025.
According to Correctiv sources, US and Russian representatives are currently negotiating the sale of the refinery with the participation of the office of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the German Ministry of Finance. Meanwhile, the German Foreign Ministry, headed by a representative of the Green Party and a long-time opponent of non-renewable resource supplies from Russia, Annalena Baerbock, has been excluded from the process. With America's help, Germany may resume purchases of not only Russian oil but also gas. Washington is interested in restarting Nord Stream 2. Financial Times previously wrote that the Trump administration wants to invest in restarting the pipeline as it is a "strategic asset" that can be used to establish peace.
One of the meeting participants said that the tone of the negotiations is set by the USA, and the participation of German officials is minimized. The US president's plan may look like "pincers" for the EU: to weaken Germany's automotive industry by imposing huge tariffs and at the same time earn in the EU by pumping raw materials from Russia through American infrastructure.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent" and "undesirable" organization.