Druzhba pipeline restoration: Zelenskyy announces expected timeline
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The EU’s €90 billion credit for Ukraine depends on the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline. The pipeline could be restored within a month and a half, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a briefing.
The President noted that he would not restore the Druzhba pipeline and made this clear to European leaders.
"There are some things that have no price. They’re killing us, and yet we have to give oil to Orbán, because poor guy, without this oil, he can’t win the elections," he added.
However, he said the European Union is warning Ukraine that the €90 billion credit will be blocked if the country does not start restoring Druzhba. So far, this position exists only at an unofficial level.
The head of state clarified that during a conversation with European Council President António Costa, they agreed that Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi would determine how long the restoration would take.
"Today, the information is that this pipeline could be operational in a month to a month and a half. But this doesn’t mean that what was destroyed will be fully restored," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, restoration is possible if EU countries do not find a way to bypass the blockage of Ukraine’s €90 billion credit.
The Druzhba pipeline
Russian oil stopped flowing to Hungary and Slovakia through Druzhba at the end of January after Russia struck the pipeline.
Hungary and Slovakia began pressuring Ukraine. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, for example, ordered a halt to emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Hungary blocked the EU’s €90 billion credit to Ukraine.
