Ukrainian officials announced on Wednesday that the country has resumed pumping Russian oil through a pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. The move ends months of deadlock over a 90 billion euro loan granted by the European Union to Kiev.
Shortly after the announcement made by Kiev, EU ambassadors gathered in Brussels gave preliminary approval for the loan, as well as for the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, officials said. The final decision is expected to be adopted on Thursday, reports BBC.
Although the funding had been agreed upon since December of last year, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, blocked the payment in February, after Ukraine announced that the damages caused by a Russian attack had led to the cessation of deliveries.
Governmental and oil sector sources from Ukraine have informed officials in Hungary and Slovakia that pumping has resumed, a few hours after EU ambassadors began discussions on the loan.
“Ukraine truly needs this loan”
Orbán is requesting the resumption of oil flow before the release of funds, and Ukraine has confirmed that repairs were completed on Tuesday. His defeat in Sunday’s elections has defused the situation at the EU level, ending his 16-year tenure as prime minister. Hungary’s future leader, Péter Magyar, announced that he will attempt to reset the strained relations between Budapest and Brussels.
“Ukraine truly needs this loan and it is also a signal that Russia cannot resist more than Ukraine”, declared the head of EU foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, ahead of the ambassadors’ meeting.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka described the funding as “a matter of life and death” for Kiev, with two-thirds of the amount to be allocated for strengthening defense capabilities, and the rest for general financial support.
The Slovak Minister of Economy, Denisa Sakova, stated that the energy operator Ukrtransnaft, which manages the Drujba pipeline on Ukrainian territory, has informed her that the pressurization of the pipeline began on Wednesday morning, and the oil is expected to reach Slovakia on Thursday, for the first time since January 27.
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