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The European Union is stepping up pressure on Ukraine over the situation with the Druzhba oil pipeline, damaged by a Russian strike, and is demanding access for a European inspection.
According to Financial Times, Hungary and Slovakia accuse Kyiv of delaying repairs after the Russian attack on January 27 and claim that Ukraine is exaggerating the extent of the damage. A senior EU diplomat said that Ukraine “scored an own goal,” giving Hungary grounds to block a €90 billion EU credit.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa reportedly requested an independent mission to assess the damage during their visit to Kyiv, but Ukraine refused. Previously, the European Commission had welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s initiative to send an inspection team to evaluate repair work on the damaged pipeline. Brussels stated it was ready to consider the mission’s findings.
Kyiv insists that the infrastructure was seriously damaged by the Russian airstrike. Serhiy Koretsky, head of Naftogaz, said a 75,000‑cubic‑meter oil tank caught fire, which took ten days to extinguish, and that cables, transformers, and leak detection systems were also damaged. Ukraine claims it has provided European partners with evidence of the destruction and cites security concerns as the reason inspectors have not been allowed access.
Ukrainian officials also emphasize that repairing the pipeline in an active combat zone is dangerous. One official questioned the urgency of restoring a pipeline that supplies oil from Russia to its allies during wartime.
The dispute comes amid rising energy prices following U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, which have affected global oil and gas supplies.
