Ukraine expects the resumption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline as early as Tuesday, which will pave the way for the lifting of blockades by the European Union regarding the provision of a much-needed 90 billion euro ($106 billion) loan to Kyiv, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
According to sources familiar with the situation and who spoke on condition of anonymity, technical tests of the pipeline, which supplied oil to Hungary and Slovakia before being damaged by a Russian attack in January, are scheduled for Tuesday.
EU leaders approved the loan in December, but Hungary has since blocked the disbursement of funds, with outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conditioning aid on the resumption of oil supplies. EU ambassadors are expected to discuss the issue on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the Hungarian government indicated that it was ready to lift the loan blockade and support funding for Kyiv as early as this week if oil supplies resume.
Orban names condition for unblocking EU's 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine19.04.26, 18:03
Addendum
The publication notes that these funds are crucial for Ukraine to continue fighting more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion and given that the US has effectively ceased its aid after Donald Trump returns to power in 2025. According to Bloomberg, Kyiv will only have enough funds until June.
Last week, Slovakia also stated that it would not break EU unity on the issue of providing a loan to Ukraine, marking a change in the position of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who had previously threatened to refuse any aid due to the dispute over the pipeline. Fico accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately delaying repairs to the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv denies.
Ukraine to complete repair of Druzhba oil pipeline in spring - Zelenskyy10.04.26, 17:52
While direct purchases of Russian oil by most European countries ceased after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Hungary and Slovakia were granted temporary permission to continue imports. The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, plans to submit a legislative proposal to phase out remaining purchases no later than the end of 2027.