Ukraine ‘has no interest’ in restarting oil supplies – EU state’s PM
Kiev has no interest in resuming the flow of Russian crude through the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has concluded after a phone call with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
The Soviet-era pipeline, part of which passes through Ukraine, stopped delivering oil last month. Kiev has attributed this to damage from Russian strikes, which Moscow has denied. Hungary and Slovakia, which are both heavily dependent on the fuel deliveries, have accused Ukraine of deliberately cutting off them off for political reasons.
In a statement on X on Friday, Fico said he spoke with Zelensky and told him that his “decision to stop the transit of oil is causing [Slovakia] logistical difficulties and economic damage.”
Slovak intelligence “confirms that the pipeline is not damaged and nothing prevents the transit of oil,” yet the Ukrainian leader “insisted that repairing the pipeline requires a long time,” he said.
From the conversation… I gained a clear impression that the Ukrainian side has no interest in resuming the transit of oil.
The prime minister also said he informed Zelensky that Bratislava and Budapest will push for an “inspection group composed of experts nominated by the European Commission and EU Member States” to check the allegedly damaged areas of the pipeline.
The Druzhba (“Friendship”) oil pipeline is one of the world’s longest energy networks, stretching about 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles). Built in the 1960s, it carries oil from Russia and Kazakhstan to Germany and Poland via Belarus, and to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic via Ukraine.
Once capable of delivering up to 1.2 million barrels per day, Druzhba has seen reduced flows since 2022 as the EU has sought to curb reliance on Russian energy, amid the Ukraine conflict. Germany and Poland have halted imports, while Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic remain dependent on the pipeline’s southern branch.
In August, Ukraine attacked sections of the Druzhba network, disrupting supplies. Kiev reportedly sought to pressure Hungary and Slovakia, who oppose continued EU aid to Ukraine. Both have accused Kiev of endangering their energy security and appealed to the European Commission, which later ordered that flows be restored.
Kiev has so far blocked the Slovak ambassador in Ukraine from carrying out such an inspection, Fico said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also argued that Kiev simply shut off the pipeline.
“Let me be clear… Zelensky is lying,” he wrote on X just hours prior. “We know that there is no technical reason oil cannot flow to Hungary through the Friendship pipeline. They refuse inspections and hide the truth.”
Last week, in response to what he called Ukraine’s “political blackmail,” Orban vetoed Brussels’ planned €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan for Kiev, as well as the EU’s 20th package of sanctions on Russia.
Earlier this week, he ordered additional Hungarian military and police to patrol energy infrastructure at the border with Ukraine, citing intelligence from Budapest’s security services about potential attacks.
