Ukraine said on Tuesday that the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline is fixed. “The pipeline can resume operation,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
Politico quoted him as saying the work was completed “as agreed in communication with the European Union.” He tied the repair to money. “We connect this with the unblocking of the European support package for Ukraine, which had already been approved by the European Council,” Zelenskyy added. Politico described that package as a long-awaited €90 billion EU loan. The Moscow Times gave the sum as 90 billion euros ($96 billion).
The line carries crude to Hungary and Slovakia and has been the center of a standoff lasting months. Ukraine says Russian strikes damaged it in late January. Hungary and Slovakia accused Kyiv of stalling repairs to put pressure on them.
The veto
Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had used his veto to hold up the loan until Ukraine repaired Druzhba and let oil flow again. The Moscow Times called the repair a likely breakthrough for Ukraine’s battered budget.
A source in Kyiv told AFP that Ukraine can begin pumping oil to Hungary and Slovakia once it receives a formal request.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in Luxembourg that an agreement on the funds is expected within 24 hours. “I hope that everything goes well,” she said. “Hopefully, all the obstacles are removed.”
Sanctions line holds
Clearing the way for Russian oil did not soften Zelenskyy’s stance toward EU members that still buy Russian energy. “We must continue systematic sanctions pressure on Russia over this war and work on further diversifying energy supplies to Europe,” he said. He added: “Europe must be independent from those who seek to destroy or weaken it.”
Sources
- Ukraine Repairs Druzhba Pipeline, Clearing Way for Russian Oil Flows to Europe – The Moscow Times
- Ukraine has repaired Druzhba pipeline, Zelenskyy says
Sources
- Ukraine Repairs Druzhba Pipeline, Clearing Way for Russian Oil …
- Ukraine has repaired Druzhba pipeline, Zelenskyy says – Politico EU
