EU mission to Druzhba pipeline set for tomorrow: Will Hungarian and Slovak experts participate?
Illustrative photo: experts will inspect the oil pipeline as early as tomorrow (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, March 18, independent experts from European countries will visit the Druzhba oil pipeline. However, the group will not include representatives from Hungary or Slovakia, Suspilne reports.
Sources told the outlet that a small delegation of engineers is already in Kyiv. The logistics are being handled by the European Union’s representation in Ukraine, and the experts will visit the pipeline tomorrow.
A European Commission official said the engineers would visit the Druzhba pipeline before European leaders meet on Thursday, March 19, to discuss unlocking a loan for Ukraine.
It is noted that representatives from Slovakia and Hungary will not take part in the mission. To "ensure independence," European countries are involving "independent experts."
Background
Today, March 17, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine had accepted the European Union’s proposal for financial and technical support to restore the Druzhba pipeline.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that repair work on the bypass line is nearing completion. According to him, the Brody pumping station will regain technical operability in about a month and a half.
Full restoration of flows is also expected at that time, provided that, as the Ukrainian president noted, Russia does not carry out new strikes.
Situation with Druzhba
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said he will block €90 billion in EU financial aid for Ukraine until Kyiv restores the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungarian refineries.
In response, the European Commission said it was ready to help repair the damaged section of the pipeline. At the same time, experts view Budapest’s actions as political pressure, using energy as leverage.
In addition, a Hungarian delegation led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy Gábor Czepek arrived in Kyiv, but Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stressed that its representatives did not have official status.
