After four months of shutdown, Ukraine announced on Tuesday the upcoming resumption of operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which transports Russian crude oil to Slovakia and Hungary. The pipeline was damaged by a Russian strike in January. Budapest accused Ukraine of delaying reparations and for its part blocked a European loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine.
Published on: 04/21/2026 - 11:06 p.m.
The Druzhba pipeline supplying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia will be able to resume operation, kyiv announced on Tuesday April 21, which thus puts an end to a long standoff with Budapest and hopes in return for the release of a crucial EU loan for Ukraine.
Damaged by a Russian strike in January, this pipeline has been out of service since and Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the Ukrainian authorities of dragging their feet in carrying out the necessary repairs.
Viktor Orban, largely defeated in the legislative elections of April 12 against the pro-European conservative Peter Magyar, blocked in retaliation a European loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine.
Slovakia, heavily dependent on Russian oil, for its part threatened to prevent the adoption of the next set of sanctions taken against Russia since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“As agreed in communication with the European Union, Ukraine has carried out repair work on the section of the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by the Russian strike,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured on Telegram. “The pipeline can resume operation.”
“We link this to the unblocking of the European support package for Ukraine” and “hope that our partners will also take appropriate measures regarding” the opening of several aspects of EU accession negotiations, he said.
kyiv will resume pumping Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline upon receipt of a request from Hungary or Slovakia, a senior Ukrainian official later told AFP. “As soon as a pumping request is made, the pipeline will restart.”
Shortly after confirming the end of reparations, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the fate of the long-delayed 90 billion euro loan.
"It is important that we start receiving it soon. All the necessary steps have been taken by Ukraine," he said on social media after the conversation.
A release of the loan on Wednesday?
Earlier in the day, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, said she expected “positive decisions” on the release of this 90 billion euro loan after the electoral defeat of Viktor Orban.
Peter Magyar had already called on Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to reopen the oil pipeline if it was operational. The Ukrainian head of state had, for his part, promised reparation “by the end of April”.
The European Union hopes to release the loan for kyiv on Wednesday during a meeting in Brussels of the ambassadors of its member states, thanks to the lifting of the Hungarian veto.
Viktor Orban had made this subject an issue in his electoral campaign, while Ukraine, which has been fighting for more than four years against the large-scale Russian invasion of its territory, sees this oil pipeline as a financial windfall for Moscow.
Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, thanked Volodymyr Zelensky in a brief message on social media.
In March, Brussels proposed an inspection mission of the Druzhba oil pipeline to try to ease tensions between kyiv and Budapest. Volodymyr Zelensky denounced European “blackmail” against his country.
The European loan should allow Ukraine to finance its defense against the Russian army and ensure state spending over the period 2026-2027.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the EU ensured that most oil imports from Russia were banned. But the Druzhba pipeline, which means “friendship” in Russian, was temporarily exempted to give Central European countries time to find new solutions.
With AFP
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