Dispute over the Druzhba pipeline and supplies of Russian oil. Media: The EU is putting pressure on Ukraine
Kyiv maintains that needs time for repairs and has provided evidence of extensive damage following January's Russian airstrike. Budapest and Bratislava, however, claim that the scale of damage does not justify a complete suspension of deliveries.
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Media: there is pressure from the EU
According to EU diplomats cited by the British newspaper, the people who sought access to the site of the attack included: President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council António Costa during their visit to Kiev on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. The request was to be denied.
The EU ambassador in Kiev, Katarína Mathernová, also asked for the possibility of inspecting the pipeline or sending EU diplomats – without success. The Ukrainian side cited security reasons.
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Hungary blocks aid to Kiev
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is delaying the approval of the EU aid package for Ukraine worth EUR 90 billion, making the decision conditional on the resumption of oil transmission. He proposed a joint “fact-finding mission” with Slovakia.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed that the offer to send a mission was rejected. Orban claims to have satellite photos showing that the pipeline was not damaged to such an extent that it prevented operation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Orban of… using the case in the election campaign and noted that Budapest was blocking funds “needed for weapons and survival.”
Ukraine: damage to the Druzhba pipeline is serious
The head of the state-owned company Naftohaz, Sergii Koretskyi, said that The Russian attack led to a fire in a tank with a capacity of 75,000. m3, which was extinguished for 10 days. The damage was to include, among others: technical devices, power cables, transformers and a leak detection system.
— The air attack ignited the largest oil tank in Europe, with a diameter the size of a football field Koretskyi said, adding that it would take time to fully assess the damage.
