Ukraine Could Resume Druzhba Oil Flows by Monday, Orbán Says

The move could end a months-long standoff between Budapest and Kyiv over the pipeline Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied A photo taken on May 5, 2022 shows the receiver station of the Druzhba pipeline of petroleum between Hungary and Russia with a memorial plate of its construction at the Duna (Danube) Refinery of Hungarian MOL Company located near the town of Szazhalombatta, about 30 km south of Budapest. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Sunday that the EU had passed on signals that Ukraine could soon restore oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, potentially as early as Monday. The move could break a long-running stand-off between Budapest and Kyiv over the pipeline, which has seen Orbán block a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine in recent months. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . The Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary via Ukraine, has been non-operational since late January, when it was damaged by Russian strikes, according to Kyiv. Hungary and Slovakia, the last EU countries still sourcing oil from Russia via the Soviet-era pipeline, have accused Ukraine of dragging its feet on repairs. “Through Brussels, we have received an indication from Ukraine that they are ready to restore oil deliveries via the pipeline as early as Monday,” Orbán wrote on X. He added that oil flows would unlock Hungary’s controversial blockade of the loan. “Once oil deliveries are restored, we will no longer stand in the way of approving the loan,” he said. Hungary’s center-right Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar, who will take power in May, also said on Friday that Russian oil flows could resume next week. See the original report from Emma Pirnay here. Euractiv is a European news website focused on EU policies. It was founded in 1999 by the French media publisher Christophe Leclercq. The website's headquarters and central editorial staff are located in Brussels, with offices in Paris and Berlin.