Ukraine intends to complete repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline this spring, which could become an important factor both for the regional energy market and for political relations within Europe. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who emphasized that restoration work is progressing despite difficult conditions and the consequences of infrastructure damage.

According to the Ukrainian side, a significant portion of the work has already been completed; however, the process is complicated by the fact that some facilities — particularly storage tanks — sustained serious damage and cannot be restored quickly. The pipeline was damaged at the end of January as a result of a strike that Kyiv attributes to Russia, after which supplies of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were effectively halted.

The situation around Druzhba quickly went beyond a technical issue, turning into a serious political and economic dispute. Budapest and Bratislava, which remain among the few EU countries continuing to receive Russian oil, accused Kyiv of delaying repairs, while Ukraine rejects these claims and points to objective reasons for the delays, including the threat of new attacks and the complexity of restoring infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, Hungary linked the issue of restoring transit to blocking a major EU financial aid package for Ukraine, estimated at around €90 billion. Thus, the energy incident has become part of a broader political confrontation, where energy security intertwines with issues of war financing and European solidarity.

The Druzhba pipeline itself remains a key artery for oil supplies to Central Europe — one of the largest systems in the world connecting Russian oil fields with European markets. Its shutdown demonstrated the continued dependence of certain EU countries on Russian energy resources, despite efforts toward diversification.

 

Kyiv’s statements about completing repairs in the spring can be seen as an attempt to reduce tensions while maintaining control over the situation: on the one hand, to demonstrate readiness to fulfill transit obligations, and on the other, not to yield to political pressure. At the same time, even after the infrastructure is restored, an open question remains: will the resumption of supplies lead to stabilization, or merely a temporary pause in a deeper energy and political conflict between Ukraine, certain EU countries, and Russia.

#UKRAINE

10.04.2026 06:59