Ukraine Resumes Druzhba Pipeline Operations as EU Loan Talks Advance

Ukraine has restarted the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia after completing repairs to the Druzhba pipeline, months after it was damaged in a Russian strike.

The resumption, confirmed Wednesday by officials in Kyiv, Budapest, and Bratislava, marks a significant step in resolving a dispute that has strained relations between Ukraine, the European Union, and member states still dependent on Russian energy.

“Oil transit was launched and pumping began,” a Ukrainian energy industry source told AFP.

Hungary and Slovakia said shipments are expected to begin arriving Thursday, with Hungarian energy firm MOL noting that deliveries could reach both countries “by tomorrow at the latest”.

Slovakia’s Economy Minister Denisa Sakova similarly said the first supplies were expected in the early hours of Thursday.

The pipeline’s reopening could help unlock a long-delayed €90 billion EU loan package for Ukraine, which had been stalled amid disagreements led by Hungary’s former leader Viktor Orban.

Orban had blocked the funding in an effort to pressure Kyiv into restoring oil supplies, accusing it of delaying repairs.

His recent election defeat has been viewed as a turning point, allowing EU officials to give preliminary approval for the financial package.

Still, concerns remain over the durability of the arrangement. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico cautioned that the agreement could unravel.

“I would not be surprised if the 90 billion loan were unblocked and then oil supplies were cut off again,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly opposed continued EU reliance on Russian energy exports, arguing that such purchases provide critical funding for Moscow’s war, now more than four years old.

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