Ukraine says the druzhba pipeline is ready to resume operations after repair work on the damaged section was completed, opening the way for Russian oil to flow again to Hungary and Slovakia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy linked the repair to the unblocking of a €90 billion EU support package for Ukraine on Tuesday in remarks that put the druzhba pipeline at the center of a widening diplomatic fight. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg that she expected a positive decision on the loan within 24 hours.
Repair work completed after Russian strike
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had completed repair work on the section of the druzhba pipeline damaged by a Russian strike. He said the pipeline can resume operation, and the move comes after months in which the line was at the center of a dispute between Kyiv and Budapest.
The pipeline stopped transporting oil from Russia to Central Europe after the attack in January. Zelenskyy said there were now “no grounds” for blocking the EU package, a reference to the long-delayed support meant to help Ukraine’s war-battered economy.
EU loan pressure builds as Budapest stance shifts
The standoff escalated after Hungary vetoed the €90 billion package, while accusing Ukraine of moving too slowly on repairs. Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Sunday that he would drop his opposition once oil transit through the druzhba pipeline was restored.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he connected the repair with the unblocking of the European support package already approved by the European Council. European Council President António Costa thanked Zelenskyy for, in his words, delivering the repair and restoring the pipeline’s operation.
Kallas said the decision could come quickly, adding a sense of urgency to a file that has been blocked for months., quoting an industry source, said pumping oil through the pipeline would resume on Wednesday.
What Zelenskyy said next
Zelenskyy also warned that there is no guarantee Russia will not repeat attacks on pipeline infrastructure. That warning keeps the druzhba pipeline from being just a repair story; it remains a live security issue tied to energy flows, EU politics, and the war’s wider economic pressure.
The broader dispute has centered on whether restoring the line should be enough to unlock the loan and end Hungary’s veto. With the repair now complete, the next move rests with the EU, and the result could arrive within hours if ministers move as Kallas expects.
For now, the druzhba pipeline is repaired, the diplomatic pressure is rising, and the decision on the loan is approaching fast.
