Russian oil is flowing again through the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline after a months-long interruption, officials said, lifting a blockade on supplies to Hungary and Slovakia that was triggered after a Russian drone damaged a pipeline in western Ukraine and halted the flow.
Hungarian oil group MOL announced that Ukraine had informed them about the resumption of Russian crude oil deliveries through the pipeline system. "MOL expects the first crude oil deliveries after the restart of the Ukrainian part of the pipeline system to arrive in Hungary and Slovakia by tomorrow at the latest," the company said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the EU's decision was "the right signal in the current circumstances." He wrote on X Network that incentives to end Russia's war against Ukraine "can only appear when both support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia are sufficient."
The European Union agreed in principle last year on a loan to maintain Ukraine's liquidity through 2026 and 2027, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Slovak government blocked it, accusing Ukraine of delaying repairs to the pipeline, a claim Kiev denied.
Hungary and Slovakia are heavily dependent on Russian oil imports, while Orban has continuously shown support for Russia.
