Repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline will be completed this spring – Zelenskyy
Ukraine has made significant progress in repairing the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline and will complete the repairs in the spring, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated, against the backdrop of a serious dispute with Hungary over disruptions to Russian oil supplies.
This is according to Reuters.
“We will complete the repairs, as that is the agreement. I told them we would finish this spring. A lot has already been done there... Of course, the damaged tanks cannot be repaired quickly,” Zelenskyy said.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia, which have maintained close political and energy ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accuse Kyiv of dragging its feet on the repairs. Ukraine denies this.
The dispute over oil transit has prompted Hungary to block a €90bn European Union loan to Ukraine until oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
An industry source told Reuters earlier this month that April is the most likely deadline for completion of the work.
