Controversy surrounding Druzhba: Kyiv is prepared to technically restore the oil pipeline, but does not consider this to be appropriate
5 March 18:34
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv is awaiting an official request from its European partners to resume operations of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was damaged during a Russian attack.
The president made this statement during a briefing, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
At the same time, the head of state stressed that he personally does not support the resumption of Russian oil supplies via this route.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine is technically capable of restoring the pipeline in about a month and a half, but the political decision must be made by the European countries that use this infrastructure.
“To be honest, I would not restore it. That is my position. I have communicated this to European leaders and to those who have contacted me on this issue, as well as to the leadership of the European Union, because this is Russian oil,” Zelensky stated during the briefing.
At the same time, the president noted that Ukraine could ensure the technical readiness of the system if EU countries insisted on resuming supplies.
“If EU countries find no other option but to block funds for our military, just because we have to give Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. We will prepare everything, the decision will be theirs,” he said.
What happened to the pipeline
According to Serhiy Koretsky, chairman of the board of Naftogaz Ukraine, the Russian attack significantly damaged the pumping station in Brody, Lviv region. In particular, a 75,000-ton oil storage tank was destroyed.
Koretsky said that restoring this infrastructure makes little sense due to the risk of repeated attacks. According to him, it would be more expedient to build underground storage facilities in the future.
Political conflict over Druzhba
Russian oil supplies via the pipeline stopped after the attack on January 27. However, the governments of Hungary and Slovakia questioned the extent of the damage and claimed that Ukraine had allegedly stopped transit for political reasons.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak leader Robert Fico threatened to restrict emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine if transit was not resumed.
In addition, Budapest temporarily suspended diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine and blocked the EU’s decision to provide Kyiv with credit support.
Zelensky himself had previously responded ironically to the Hungarian prime minister’s statements about the absence of damage to the pipeline, saying that he “may be a magician and can see underground.”
