Russia says it halted oil exports to Belarus

MOSCOW, Jan 8 (Reuters) Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft admitted today it had shut off pipeline crude oil exports to Belarus in a move that halted transit deliveries to Poland and Germany.

But, Vice-President Sergei Grigoryev told Reuters, Transneft had been forced to act because Belarus had been siphoning off oil to secure payment in kind for a transit duty it had imposed illegally.

''The Belarussian side began taking transit oil in lieu of payment for the new duty it had illegally imposed,'' Grigoryev told Reuters.

''We therefore reduced transit supplies, equal to the amount being taken. We then reached the point where we had to stop supplies completely.'' Grigoryev added that he hoped a dialogue to resolve the situation would begin tomorrow, the first working day after the Russian New Year and Christmas holidays.

REUTERS BDP KN2056