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Market Chatter: Belarus Expands Fuel Deliveries to Russia as Refinery Disruptions Persist

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Belarus sent record volumes of gasoline and diesel to Russia in July as Ukrainian drone strikes continued to disrupt Russian refining operations and tighten domestic fuel supplies, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing two industry sources.

Russian fuel production remained under pressure in early July. Gasoline output met about 65% of seasonal demand and diesel production ran close to domestic consumption levels, as Russia kept gasoline and jet fuel export curbs in place and expanded restrictions on diesel exports.

Belarus delivered 212,000 metric tons of gasoline and 162,000 mt of diesel to Russia by rail in July, with gasoline shipments up 13% over the month and diesel volumes doubling. Year-to-date deliveries reached almost 665,000 mt of gasoline and 418,000 mt of diesel, compared with 27,000 mt and 61,000 mt a year earlier.

Russia reportedly turned to India, Kazakhstan and Morocco for gasoline supplies. Russia's Ministry of Energy, Belarus' Ministry of Energy, India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy and Morocco's Ministry of Energy did not immediately reply to' request for comment.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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