Ukraine has presented the EU with a plan to rebuild the Druzhba oil pipeline following the Russian attack
19 March 14:09
The Ukrainian side presented a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of the “Druzhba” oil pipeline, which was damaged by a Russian strike, to Gediminas Navickas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, according to Serhiy Koretskyi, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, as reported by [Komersant].
“The Naftogaz Group appreciates the EU’s offer of financial and technical assistance for the reconstruction of the Brody pumping station’s infrastructure assets in accordance with the best European engineering and safety standards and to prevent further terrorist attacks. Together with EU Deputy Ambassador Gediminas Navickas, we met with the technical working group. Together with the leadership of Ukrtransnafta, we provided our partners with detailed information about the consequences of the Russian attack on the infrastructure of the Druzhba oil pipeline. We discussed the current state of affairs and presented a systematic reconstruction plan. We outlined the following joint actions,” Koretsky wrote on Facebook.
Earlier, EU diplomats told Radio Free Europe that the release of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, which is being blocked by Hungary, would depend on the resumption of Druzhba operations, or at least on allowing European experts to assess the pipeline’s condition.
On March 17, it became known that a small delegation of European engineers qualified to inspect the condition of the “Druzhba” oil pipeline, damaged by Russian strikes, is already in the Ukrainian capital.
EU officials unofficially told Radio Free Europe that the experts inspecting Druzhba will not represent Hungary or Slovakia to avoid bias in the EU’s assessment.
Following the start of the full-scale invasion, the EU banned the purchase of Russian oil. Exemptions were granted to Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria as landlocked countries—meaning they cannot receive oil tankers from other nations and are dependent on the Druzhba pipeline. Austria has managed to diversify its supplies.
The Druzhba pipeline—transiting through Ukrainian territory—facilitates the transport of Russian oil to Europe, specifically Hungary and Slovakia.
However, as Ukrainian officials have stated, the pipeline was damaged as a result of Russian shelling in late January. Hungarian and Slovak officials reject this claim. Hungary stated that recently published satellite data allegedly shows there is no technical or operational reason preventing the pipeline from immediately returning to normal operation.
On March 11, Hungarian Deputy Minister of Energy Gábor Csepék stated that a delegation from his country had traveled to Ukraine to negotiate the resumption of operations on the Druzhba oil pipeline and inspect its condition. According to him, the mission’s goal is to firmly represent Hungarian interests at the negotiating table and reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was aware of the arrival of a group of Hungarian citizens who entered Ukraine “in accordance with general rules,” but “this group of individuals has no official status or scheduled official meetings, so it is certainly incorrect to refer to them as a ‘delegation.’”
