- According to Zelenský, the Družba pipeline should resume operations by the end of April.
- Russian oil has not flowed through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia since January.
- The Hungarian government claims that the pipeline is working and Ukraine is blocking the transit politically.
The Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary, will be back in operation by the end of April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday. TASR informs about it based on the AFP report.
Russian oil has not flowed through the Druzhba pipeline to oil refineries in Hungary and Slovakia since January 27. Viktor Orbán’s government in Hungary insists that the pipeline is operational and that Ukraine refuses to resume oil transit for purely political reasons. Within the EU, Budapest vetoed a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine and warned that it would block any decisions by Brussels that would benefit Ukraine. In this context, Hungary refused to sign the 20th package of EU anti-Russian sanctions.
In the elections in Hungary on Sunday (April 12), the opposition party Tisza won convincingly. Its leader, Péter Magyar, declared that he would work to restore Hungary’s full membership in the EU and NATO.
