Oil deliveries to the Czech Republic via Russia's Druzhba pipeline have stopped for the second time in recent months, but officials said there is no immediate threat of fuel shortages.

According to a news report published by EURACTIV on Wednesday morning, Czech Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček confirmed the disruption and assured that domestic oil supplies remain secure.

"We are aware of the situation and are addressing it. Refineries in the Czech Republic are well prepared for this scenario, and we have a robust system of state material reserves in place," Vlček told the Czech News Agency.

He said the outage would not affect gasoline and diesel production, a claim echoed by Orlen Unipetrol, a major Czech oil processor and distributor.

"Currently, fuel production at both our refineries, in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, remains unrestricted and at full capacity," Orlen Unipetrol said on X, formerly Twitter. However, the company requested an emergency oil loan from the State Material Reserves Administration to maintain full production at the Litvínov refinery.

Vlček and Orlen Unipetrol emphasised the Czech Republic's plan to end reliance on Russian oil, with the expanded Transalpine Oil Pipeline (TAL) expected to provide sufficient supplies from alternative sources as the country aims to fully transition to Western oil supplies by mid-2025.

A similar supply halt occurred in December, with Czech authorities attributing it to Russian pressure on local energy reserves.