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The Druzhba oil pipeline is resuming operations; Slovakia will receive supplies on 23 April

The Druzhba oil pipeline is resuming operations; Slovakia will receive supplies on 23 April

22 April 2026, 16:46

The Druzhba oil pipeline is resuming operations; Slovakia will receive supplies on 23 April — The Druzhba oil pipeline

On the morning of 22 April, work began on the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba oil pipeline to increase the pressure and fill the system with oil. The resumption of pumping and supplies to Slovakia is expected on the morning of 23 April.

This was announced by the Slovak Minister for the Economy, Denisa Saková.

Pumping and supplies to Slovakia are expected to resume on the morning of 23 April.

Meanwhile, EU ambassadors are meeting in Cyprus to discuss a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Hungary had long blocked the decision precisely because of the shutdown of the Druzhba pipeline. Now, the head of the EU’s foreign policy department, Kaja Kallas, says she expects “some positive decisions”.

The shutdown of the Druzhba pipeline: what we know

Since the end of January 2026, Ukraine has halted oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline due to Russian attacks. For their part, Hungary and Slovakia, which received the vast majority of their oil via Druzhba, claimed that Ukraine was blocking the oil route “for political reasons”.

Following this, Hungary blocked a €90 billion loan to Ukraine from the EU until Kyiv restores the Druzhba pipeline. On 26 February, Orbán wrote an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which he accused him of anti-Hungarian policies and called for the Druzhba pipeline to be reopened.

Zelenskyy responded by saying that he would not restore the Druzhba pipeline, which had been damaged by Russia, as it involved Russian oil.

In March, Ukraine agreed to EU assistance to repair the Druzhba pipeline. At the time, Zelenskyy stated in a letter to EU leaders that it would take approximately one and a half months to resume transit via the Druzhba pipeline. As early as 14 April, Zelenskyy announced that the pipeline would be repaired by the end of April and would resume operations.

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