-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
A team of European engineers has arrived in Kyiv to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline. The team is qualified to assess the condition of the pipeline, which was damaged by Russian strikes.
According to reports from Radio Svoboda on March 17, the EU mission in Kyiv is currently managing logistics to ensure the inspection begins on March 18.
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EU officials stated that the specialists examining the pipeline will not represent Hungary or Slovakia. This decision was made to ensure an unbiased assessment.
European diplomats previously indicated that the release of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, currently blocked by Hungary, depends on the pipeline returning to operation or at least allowing experts to evaluate its status.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned the purchase of Russian oil. However, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria received temporary exemptions because they are landlocked and cannot receive oil tankers from other sources.
While Austria has successfully diversified its supplies, the Druzhba pipeline remains a key transit route for Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian officials reported that the pipeline sustained damage from Russian shelling in late January. Hungarian and Slovakian officials have rejected this claim.
Hungary recently stated that satellite data shows no technical or operational reasons preventing the pipeline from resuming normal work.
On March 11, Hungary’s Deputy Energy Minister Gábor Czepek said a delegation from his country traveled to Ukraine to negotiate the restoration of the pipeline. He stated that the goal of the mission is to “firmly represent Hungarian interests at the negotiating table and open the Druzhba oil pipeline.”
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by noting that a group of Hungarian citizens entered Ukraine under “general rules.”
However, the ministry clarified that “this group of people has no official status or planned official meetings, so it is definitely incorrect to call them a 'delegation'.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the restoration of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which had been damaged by Russian strikes, involved both technical and political factors.
He emphasized that Ukraine was an independent state and provided factual information regarding the destruction, noting that the country’s word should be sufficient for its partners.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
