Ukraine will finish repairing the Russia-damaged Druzhba pipeline this spring, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a meeting with journalists, Ukrinform reports.
Zelenskyy said the repair work is already well advanced and will be completed in line with agreements reached with the European Commission. In March, the EU offered financial and technical support to restore Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline.
"If the question of European financing in exchange for the possibility of oil supplies continues to stand, then we said when we will repair the Druzhba pipeline. And the responsibility for supplies will be with the Europeans. We will repair it, because that is the agreement. I told them that this spring we will finish. A lot has already been done there," Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv's limits
The president drew a clear line on Ukraine's liability: Kyiv cannot be held responsible for transit security if Russia strikes pipeline infrastructure again. He also noted that destroyed storage tanks cannot be repaired quickly.
Hungary factor
Zelenskyy's remarks come against the backdrop of Budapest's explicit pressure campaign. On 19 March, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary would not unblock any decisions favorable to Ukraine — including the 20th sanctions package against Russia and a €90 billion credit — until Kyiv restores Russian oil supplies via Druzhba.
Orbán has since said that if his Fidesz party wins the 12 April elections, he would be in a position to implement a plan to compel Ukraine to restore oil transit to Hungary.
On the Hungarian election, Zelenskyy was direct: Ukraine does not interfere in the electoral process in the neighboring country.
