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Zelensky: Druzhba Oil Pipeline Ready to Resume Operations, Links to €90 Billion EU Aid
🇭🇷 Croatia /Economy & Trade

Zelensky: Druzhba Oil Pipeline Ready to Resume Operations, Links to €90 Billion EU Aid

From Večernji List · (1d ago) Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Druzhba oil pipeline, damaged by a Russian attack, is ready to resume operations.
  • This readiness is linked to Ukraine's expectation of the release of a €90 billion EU aid package, crucial for its war budget.
  • Hungary and Slovakia, reliant on Russian oil imports, had expressed frustration over the pipeline's suspension, with Hungary's outgoing PM Viktor Orban having previously blocked EU aid to Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled a significant development regarding energy infrastructure, announcing that the Druzhba oil pipeline, a vital artery for Russian oil transit to Europe, has been repaired and is ready to resume operations. This announcement, made via X (formerly Twitter), comes at a critical juncture for Ukraine, as the nation's war effort heavily relies on consistent foreign financial support. The readiness of the pipeline is directly tied to Kyiv's anticipation of the unblocking of a substantial €90 billion European Union aid package.

The disruption to the oil flow had previously caused considerable consternation among EU member states, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, which remain dependent on Russian crude. The outgoing Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orban had even threatened to withdraw energy assistance to Ukraine and had been a persistent obstacle to the EU's financial support for Kyiv. Zelensky's statement implicitly links the resumption of oil flow to the EU's fulfillment of its financial commitments, framing it as a matter of agreed-upon conditions.

Ukraine has completed repairs on the section of the Druzhba pipeline that was damaged in a Russian attack. The pipeline can continue to operate.

— Volodymyr ZelenskyUkrainian President announcing the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline on X.

From a Ukrainian perspective, the repair and potential restart of the Druzhba pipeline represent not only a technical achievement but also a strategic move in its ongoing negotiations for international aid. It demonstrates Ukraine's capacity to restore critical infrastructure despite ongoing hostilities, while simultaneously leveraging this capability to press for the financial resources necessary to sustain its defense. The Kremlin has also confirmed Russia's technical readiness to continue oil flow, suggesting a potential alignment of interests, at least on the operational level, between Moscow and Kyiv regarding this specific energy route, even amidst the broader conflict.

We are linking this to the unblocking of the European aid package for Ukraine, which has already been approved by the European Council.

— Volodymyr ZelenskyUkrainian President connecting the pipeline's resumption of service to the release of EU financial assistance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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