Oil transit through Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia resumed Wednesday, following repairs after a late January Russian attack.
Resumption of Oil Transit
The resumption of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary was confirmed by Ukrainian energy sources, as reported by the AFP news agency.
The pipeline was repaired following damage sustained in a Russian attack in western Ukraine at the end of January.
Transit Details
Transit of oil began at 12:35 local time (11:35 CET) on the Ukrainian section of the pipeline, according to the source.
Hungarian company MOL stated that Ukrtransnafta, the Ukrainian operator of the Druzhba pipeline, informed them that it had begun receiving oil from Belarus via the pipeline at noon.
Delivery Expectations
MOL anticipates that the first oil deliveries following the restart of the Ukrainian section of the system will reach Hungary and Slovakia no later than tomorrow, according to a company statement.
Orban’s Condition for EU Aid
The resumption of supplies was linked by outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the unblocking of a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine.
Pipeline Damage and Repair
The transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary was halted in late January due to damage to the pipeline caused by a Russian attack in western Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that his country had completed repairs to the damaged section of the pipeline and it could resume operations.