Czech president says country will not return to Russian oil

VILNIUS - Czech President Petr Pavel said on Thursday that his country would not consider purchasing oil from Russia, even as global oil prices continue to rise.

"We will not consider to get back to Russian energy, whatever the situation will be. We have cut our reliance on Russian energy sources. It's a final thing and it is not even technically possible to renew it," Pavel told reporters in Lithuania.

"So at this point we can rely on sources that we have from the south and the west, which are sufficient to cover all our needs," he added.

The Czech Republic achieved full independence from Russian oil for the first time in its history in the spring of 2025, following the expansion of an oil pipeline bringing supplies from Western Europe.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union took steps to reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels. Brussels closed most routes for Russian oil into the bloc, but an exception was made for the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, as the Czech Republic had few other options.