On January 27, the Russian army caused significant damage to Druzhba, the letter states. Now the Ukrainian side is assessing the damage and the possibility of repairs to resume pumping, Ukrainian diplomats indicated, emphasizing that restoration work is impossible in the context of new Russian bombings.
“In the context of ensuring the security of oil supplies to European countries, in particular Hungary and Slovakia, the Ukrainian side proposes to consider the possibility of transporting oil using the existing oil pipeline infrastructure of Ukraine. In particular, such logistics could be organized either through the oil pipeline system of Ukraine, or by sea with subsequent transshipment at sea ports and transportation via the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline further to EU member states,” the EP quotes Kyiv’s proposal.
On February 20, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that in the X 20 network, Budapest blocked the approval of a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine until oil transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline was resumed. He accused Kyiv of thus creating an artificial shortage and conditions for fuel price increases ahead of the elections in Hungary.
