The Russian energy ministry said Sunday that problems with the deteriorating quality of crude exported to the West is technical, and will be resolved in the near future. The ministry denied that the problem is linked to economic disputes, which have increased between the two countries recently. “The problem is technical, and is not linked to issues under discussion with our Belarusian partners on medium and long term cooperation in the oil and gas sector,” the Russian energy ministry statement said. In mid-April, Belarus threatened to suspend Russian crude transit to Europe over ongoing economic disputes. Belarusian officials suggested part of the Druzhba pipeline, which delivers more than 1 million b/d of crude to Europe via Belarus, may be closed for maintenance. If the pipeline is closed, Russia would be able to redirect some of the crude […]