Energy breakthrough in Bratislava. Denisa Sakova confirms: The pipeline has started

Slovak Minister of Economy Denisa Sakova announced on Thursday in a message on Facebook that Slovakia has started receiving oil through the Druzhba pipeline. The Ukrainian operator of this transmission network already reported on Wednesday that the pipeline was being filled with Russian raw material.

The pipeline, which supplies Slovakia and Hungary, has been out of service since late January this year, when Russian shelling damaged the transmission infrastructure in western Ukraine. After the decision on the launch date was repeatedly postponed, the Ukrainian side informed Slovakia on Wednesday that the pumping of the raw material had started.

Information about the receipt of oil from the Druzhba pipeline means that the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia may come into force and a loan of EUR 90 billion may be released for Ukraine. So far, both of these decisions have been blocked by Hungary. The authorities in Bratislava also did not agree to the 20th sanctions package.

On Wednesday, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar emphasized in a special message that both obstacles will disappear only when the pipeline is launched. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was skeptical about resuming transit on Thursday. In his opinion, Kyiv has already changed the deadlines and extended the repairs many times.

In Slovakia, there is only one refinery operated by Slovnaft, owned by the Hungarian concern MOL. After supplies were interrupted at the end of January, the refinery used state strategic stocks. Later, oil was received from Libya and Saudi Arabia via the Adria pipeline, leading from Croatia. (PAP)

Piotr Górecki (PAP)

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