Black Sea drone attacks: Deputy PM Pulev sees no threat to Bulgaria's oil supply

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Aleksandar Pulev said on Saturday that, following drone attacks on two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, there is currently no danger to the country's crude oil supply. After talks with Lukoil's state-appointed special manager, there were no indications that oil cargoes were under threat, he told reporters in Sliven. Whether the attacks were an isolated incident or deliberate pressure on transport corridors that could push up pump prices is for the security services to establish, he said.

The government's anti-crisis measures against high fuel prices run for three months, until the end of the year. Pulev said they could be extended or expanded if price shocks persist. Excise duties are already at the legal minimum, with a zero rate for LPG (propane-butane), and about 80 percent of the 50-euro direct payments to pensioners and low-income households have been disbursed.

A cut in VAT on fuel is being examined but is not on the table at this stage, Pulev said, as it would hit public finances hard at a time when they are not in optimal shape. Diesel prices have moved well away from the psychological threshold of two euros per litre, the minister added.