Ukraine asks: Why fix Druzhba pipeline if Orbán blocked 90 billion in aid?
Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary (photo: Getty Images)
The European Union is demanding that the Druzhba oil pipeline be repaired, but it cannot guarantee the lifting of Hungary’s veto on a €90 billion loan. Therefore, Ukraine does not want to carry out repairs and pump Russian oil, according to a source in the Ukrainian government.
According to the source, in addition to the situation with Druzhba, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also putting pressure on the EU over a €300 million European defense program.
“Orban has long wanted money from Brussels under the EU defense program, but Brussels does not want to provide it, so Orban is blocking €90 billion for Ukraine. The story with the Druzhba pipeline is unfolding in parallel. And the EU is pressuring us to unblock Russian oil, claiming that this is the root cause,” said the government source.
As the source added, the European Union believes that Ukraine should repair and protect the pipeline that was destroyed by Russia and use it to transport Russian oil to Europe.
“We ask: do you guarantee that Orban will then unblock the €90 billion? They give some incomprehensible answers. We ask again: so what is the problem?! They say: you must unblock Druzhba… But Orban was already blocking the €90 billion before,” the source stressed.
Therefore, according to the RBC-Ukraine source, Ukraine does not consider itself obliged to lift the € 90 billion veto to pump Russian oil.
“If we are left without €90 billion, then why should we repair a pipeline destroyed by Russians and transport Russian oil as if nothing happened? And if the entire EU cannot bypass the blockade of one politician who is playing for his own benefit, it says a lot about the EU’s capabilities,” the source concluded.
Ukraine does not want to restore Druzhba
At the end of January, Russians struck the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine’s Lviv region. The pipeline infrastructure was seriously damaged, so its operation was stopped. As a result, transit supplies of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were halted.
The Hungarian and Slovak governments reject Ukraine’s claims of pipeline damage and demand access to the site for inspection. The leadership of the European Union, according to the Financial Times, also wanted to visit the site but was denied access.
After that, Brussels effectively sided with Hungary and Slovakia, saying that Ukraine had scored an own goal by stopping the pipeline.
During a press conference on March 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv does not want to restore Druzhba's operation, but the EU is demanding it. According to him, Brussels unofficially stated that a €90 billion loan needed for the Ukrainian army would be blocked until Druzhba is restarted.
Meanwhile, statements from the Hungarian government have become tougher toward Ukraine. Speaking at an election rally, Viktor Orban threatened to restore the operation of Druzhba by force.
Reacting sharply to Orban’s criticism, Zelenskyy said he would give his address to Ukrainian soldiers if Orban does not stop blocking the loan.
