The EU will help Ukraine repair a key Russian oil pipeline to Hungary, breaking a deadlock that had stalled a major loan and sanctions package for Kyiv.
BRUSSELS: The European Union will help Ukraine repair a damaged pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen (pic) said.
This move aims to resolve a dispute that Hungary had used to block a vital EUR 90 billion loan to Kyiv and new sanctions on Russia.
In a joint letter, von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky they hoped the pipeline’s “rapid repair” would allow the bloc to proceed “in a timely manner” with the financial and sanctions packages.
“The EU has offered Ukraine technical support and funding. The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer,” von der Leyen stated.
“European experts are available immediately,” she added.
Landlocked Hungary and Slovakia had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the reopening of the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv says was damaged by Russian strikes in January.
Ukraine had initially resisted the EU’s repair offer, with Zelensky previously calling it “blackmail” to link the pipeline to wartime support.
The published correspondence shows Zelensky relenting under EU pressure, accepting the “necessary technical support and funding to be able to conclude the repair work”.
He pledged to involve the head of Ukraine’s state oil firm Naftogaz to advance the repairs with the EU.
A European Commission spokesperson expressed confidence that progress on the Ukraine loan could be seen soon, ideally before an EU leaders’ summit.
The global focus on oil supplies due to the Middle East war has heightened the pipeline’s significance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, has urged the EU to suspend sanctions on Russian energy to counter rising prices.
The pipeline row escalated as Orban intensified political attacks on Ukraine ahead of Hungary’s closely contested April elections.
The Sun Malaysia
