Orban: Ukraine Ready to Restart Druzhba Pipeline as Early as Monday

Budapest, 19 April (TASR) - Ukraine has indicated its readiness to resume Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia as early as Monday (20 April), provided Budapest stops blocking the disbursement of a €90-billion European Union loan to Kiev, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated on Sunday, adding that he had received this information from Brussels. "Hungary's position hasn't changed: no oil = no money. As soon as oil supplies resume, we will no longer stand in the way of the loan," Orban wrote on X. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 for it to function," he added. Oil from Russia hasn't been flowing through the Druzhba pipeline to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia since 27 January. Both Orban and Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) have repeatedly claimed that the pipeline is not damaged and that Ukraine is refusing to resume transit due to political reasons. In this context, Budapest is blocking the disbursement of an already agreed-upon EU loan as well as the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and Fico both announced this week that Slovakia is prepared to block the new package of sanctions until oil supplies via Druzhba are resumed. Bratislava is not blocking the aforementioned loan. am