Ukraine makes the restoration of oil supplies via Druzhba to Hungary and Slovakia conditional on a change in Budapest’s attitude towards the EU loan. Viktor Orbán is also under pressure.
Ukraine indicated its readiness to resume supplies of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia as early as Monday, if Budapest stops blocking the payment of a 90 billion European Union loan to Kyiv. This was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday, according to which he was informed by Brussels, writes TASR.
“Hungary’s position has not changed: no oil = no money. As soon as oil supplies are restored, we will no longer prevent the granting of the loan,” Orbán wrote on the X social network.
Resumption of oil pipeline operation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Tuesday that the pipeline will be back in operation by the end of April. “As for the pipeline, as we promised, it will be repaired by the end of April. Not completely, but enough to make it work,” he added.
Oil from Russia has not flowed through Druzhba to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia since January 27. Both Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico repeatedly claim that the pipeline is not damaged and that Ukraine refuses to restore transit for political reasons. In this context, Budapest is blocking the payment of the already agreed EU loan as well as the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.
Reaction of Slovakia
Both Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and Fico announced this week that Slovakia is ready to block the new sanctions package until oil supplies through Družba are restored. Bratislava does not block the mentioned loan.
In the elections in Hungary on April 12, the opposition party Tisza won convincingly. According to several analysts, its leader Péter Magyar, a likely future prime minister, may support the payment of the loan after taking office in exchange for unblocking frozen EU funds for Hungary.
