Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that the repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies Hungary and Slovakia with Russian oil, have been completed. However, he conditioned the reopening of it on the unblocking of the European loan of 90 billion euros for Ukraine, blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, according to Reuters and EFE agencies, as reported by Agerpres.
“Ukraine has completed repair work on the Drujba oil pipeline section that was damaged by a Russian strike. The pipeline can be put back into operation,”Zelensky wrote on X.
“But we tie this to the unlocking of the European aid package for Ukraine, which has already been approved by the European Council,” he added, referring to the European financial aid of 90 billion euros offered to Ukraine by the EU in the form of a loan, which Kiev will only repay if Russia pays “war reparations”. If this does not happen, it will be paid by the EU states, with the exception of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who have refused to participate in the guarantee mechanism.”
Hungary and Slovakia have not been receiving oil through this pipeline since January 27, following what Ukraine claims was a drone attack by Russia, and Zelenski asserted that the repairs require time.
But the incumbent Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Robert Fico have argued that Ukraine has delayed repairing the pipeline in a blackmail action against them, due to their refusal to support Kiev in the war with Russia and especially because Orban opposes Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
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