Zelenski dashes Hungary's hopes of receiving Russian oil soon: “Druzhba reservoirs cannot be repaired quickly”
Ukraine has made significant progress in restoring the Drujba oil pipeline and will complete repairs in the spring, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, amid a bitter dispute with Hungary over the disruption of Russian oil supplies, according to Reuters.
Hungary and Slovakia have stopped receiving Russian oil deliveries through the Drujba pipeline since late January after a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline in western Ukraine.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia – both of which have maintained close political and energy ties with Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine – accuse Kiev of delaying repairs. Ukraine denies this.
“We will complete the repairs because this is the agreement. We told them we will finish this spring,” Zelenskiy said in a statement released by his office on Friday.
“A lot has already been done there… Of course, destroyed storage tanks cannot be repaired quickly,” he added.
The oil transit dispute has prompted Hungary to block a €90bn European Union loan to Ukraine as long as the flow of crude through Drujba remains halted.
Hungary holds parliamentary elections on Sunday, with polls showing Prime Minister Viktor Orban trailing the centre-right Tisza party.
An industry source told Reuters earlier this month that April is the most likely date for work to be completed.
