Saudi-Russian deal not due to tainted oil crisis

OSAKA: A decision by Russia and Saudi Arabia to extend a global pact on curbing production was not driven by a crisis over contaminated crude in a Russian-owned pipeline network, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Saturday.

Russia, which has been working for weeks to resolve the issue of tainted oil in the Druzhba pipeline that supplies Europe, has agreed with Saudi Arabia to extend by six to nine months a deal with OPEC on reducing oil production.