CBS: Impact of war in Ukraine on limited Dutch oil consumption
00:00 | The war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions against Russia have so far had little effect on Dutch oil consumption. This was established by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on the basis of last year’s data.
According to the statistics office, the refining sector in the Netherlands processed almost as much oil in 2022 as it did in 2021. The consumption of petrol, diesel and LPG in traffic also decreased by only 1%. One of the reasons is that several sanctions imposed on the import of Russian petroleum products came into effect only in December last year or February this year.
Another factor is that Russian oil has simply been replaced by refineries buying from other countries. Statistics Netherlands has noticed a marked change over the course of the year. For example, more oil arrived from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kazakhstan late last year to compensate for the loss of monthly Russian imports.
In addition, the government agency COVA purchased and stored a large amount of diesel fuel last year to prevent possible fuel shortages in transportation, agriculture and other sectors important to society. The Netherlands’ so-called strategic diesel stockpiles have doubled, and a large part of all that extra diesel has also been obtained from Russia. Other strategic stocks have also increased in size, according to Statistics Netherlands.
The petrochemical industry used up to 15% less oil. This concerns, for example, the transformation of oil into plastic. This is the lowest consumption since 2015. According to Statistics Netherlands, this has a clearly identifiable cause. Factories in this sector have put their production on the back burner over the past year due to high natural gas prices and scheduled maintenance. As a result, some petrochemical processes have also been temporarily halted.
Situation on Monday 17 April
THE Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Moscow. Putin said the two countries “actively cooperate through our military departments” and regularly exchange “useful information”, while Li said the ties between the two countries “have already entered a new era” and “the political alliances -Military of the Cold War era’.
Ukrainian troops they are finding more and more parts from China in Russian weapons used in Ukraine. A senior adviser in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office told Reuters. China has repeatedly denied sending military equipment to Russia.
A discussion follows the decision of Poland and Hungary ban the import of grain from Ukraine in order to protect its agricultural sector. Reuters reports that a European Commission spokesman said unilateral action on trade by European Union member states was “unacceptable”.
After the decision of Poland and Hungary, Bulgaria is considering a similar move. Local news agency BTA reported that Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said the country was considering banning imports of Ukrainian wheat.
Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia they are fighting extraordinarily bloody fighting in the devastated eastern city of Bachmut, but forces continue to hold out, the Ukrainian military said. Russia said Wagner’s mercenary units, supported by airborne troops, captured two more city blocks.
One hundred and thirty Ukrainian prisoners of war they were released and went home in a “big Easter exchange,” a senior Ukrainian presidential official said. It was unclear how many Russians had been sent to the other side.
A new US$115 billion international economic support package it gives Ukraine more confidence that it can prevail against Russian troops, while raising awareness that the war could last longer than expected. This was stated by the Ukrainian finance minister on Saturday. Serhiy Marchenko said at meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week, Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers assured him they would support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron. In two tweets, the Ukrainian president said he discussed Macron’s recent visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
the brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for the creation of a group of countries not involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine to bring about peace. Lula, who has criticized the US and EU’s role in the conflict, spoke of an attempt to bring together a group of leaders who “prefer to talk about peace rather than war,” citing China’s Xi Jinping and the UAE president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, both of whom met this week.