Russia's Lukoil proposes direct sales of oil to Poland

Lukoil, the biggest supplier of oil in Russia, is offering to sell five to six million tons of oil a year directly to Poland. At present, Polish refineries import oil mainly via intermediaries such as Cyprus-based J&S. Speaking yesterday in Warsaw, Lukoil vice president Ralif R. Safin said, "It's not true that buying oil from Russia without intermediaries is impossible." He insisted that Lukoil, with annual sales in Russia of nearly 36 million tons of oil, would be a trustworthy partner, ensuring stable, long-term delivery, and therefore making it unnecessary to secure any additional guarantees from an intermediary. Safin also said Lukoil is interested in developing a gas station network in Poland, with $10 million earmarked for the project over the next two years. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) M.K.