Zelenski promises EU leaders to repair Drujba Russian oil pipeline, but demands funds blocked by Viktor Orban
A €90 billion European aid package for Ukraine, still blocked by Hungary in retaliation for the suspension of its Russian oil imports on the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline, puts Kiev in a “very difficult” situation as it continues its war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday in a video conference speech at a summit of European leaders, which he asked to find a solution to unblock this aid before repairing the pipeline, which he promised he would do, reports EFE, Reuters and Agerpres.
President Zelensky has just pledged to fully restore the flow of oil through the Drujba pipeline and fully fulfill Ukraine's role as a reliable energy partner of the EU, a European source said after the Ukrainian leader's intervention at the EU summit, where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban refused to budge on lifting his veto of financial aid to Ukraine, angering European leaders.
“Hungary's position is very simple: we will help Ukraine when we have access to our oil”, indicated Orban before the summit, whose final declaration he refused to sign, as did his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, the latter's country also being affected by the stoppage of the flow of Russian oil through the pipeline.
Hungary and Slovakia have stopped receiving oil through the pipeline since January 27 following what Ukraine says was a Russian drone attack, and Zelenski says repairs take time. But Viktor Orban and Robert Fico argue for their part that Ukraine is delaying the repair of the pipeline in a blackmail action against them for refusing to support Kiev in the war with Russia and especially because Orban opposes Ukraine's EU membership.
Among the reprisals he resorted to, in addition to stopping energy and diesel exports to Ukraine and blocking new EU sanctions against Russia, Orban blocked a European financial aid of 90 billion euros for Ukraine. This aid consists of a loan, but which Kiev would have to repay only if Russia pays it hypothetical “war reparations”, otherwise the EU states will have to pay it, with the exception of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which have refused to participate in the guarantee mechanism.
In an attempt to limit Orban's ability to exploit this topic in the electoral campaign for the April 12 elections, the European Commission nevertheless asked Ukraine to repair the Drujba pipeline and also offered financial support for the work, but it is still unclear when this pipeline will be back in operation.
It is also not clear what the European leaders will do next for Ukraine to access the new funds promised by the EU and still blocked by the Budapest government, one option being to wait for the Hungarian elections to pass, in the hope that the current prime minister will lose them.
In the elections on April 12, the opponent Peter Magyar, supported by Brussels, will face off in Hungary, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is in conflict with Brussels because Hungary refused to support Ukraine in the war with Russia and promoted anti-LGBT measures, against migrants and NGOs.
