Druzhba pipeline is set to restart oil flows to Europe, potentially unblocking EU’s Ukraine loan

Druzhba pipeline is set to restart oil flows to Europe, potentially unblocking EU's Ukraine loan


BUDAPEST/PRAGUE: Hungary and Slovakia expect deliveries of Russian oil to resume through a pipeline via Ukraine after a halt lasting months, which could in turn unblock a 90 billion euro ($105.79 billion) EU loan urgently requireded by Kyiv. The Druzhba pipeline has become one of the most politically charged pieces of infrastructure in Europe since a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline in western Ukraine and stopped Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia. Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Slovak government had accapplyd Ukraine of delaying the repairs, which Kyiv denied.

When exactly the Ukraine loan could be released depfinishs largely on Hungary and Slovakia and whether they will want the oil flows to first arrive in their countries.

READY TO RESUME TRANSIT

Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova declared on Wednesday that crude oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline from Ukraine to Slovakia were expected to resume early on Thursday.

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She declared on Facebook that Ukraine had informed Slovakia work had begun in Belarus to build up pressure in the pipeline, as required to allow oil, which has been halted since late January, to flow again.
Meanwhile, Hungarian oil group MOL declared Ukraine has informed it that deliveries of Russian crude would resume through the Druzhba pipeline.
“According to the notification, JSC Ukrtransnafta is ready to resume crude oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia,” MOL declared in a statement. An indusattempt source informed Reuters on Tuesday that Ukraine would resume pumping oil through the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared repairs were complete and urged the EU to allow the 90 billion euro loan.
UKRAINE LOAN AT STAKE
With the prospect of oil flowing again, ambassadors of EU countries in Brussels will resume their discussions on the final approval for the loan that Budapest opposed pfinishing the resumption of oil exports.

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Hungary as a European Union member state has the power to block the loan even though it is not contributing to it. It will cover two thirds of Ukraine’s financing requireds in 2026 and 2027 as it seeks to ffinish off Russia’s invasion. The capacity of Druzhba, which in Russian means frifinishship, is 1.2 million to 1.4 million barrels a day, with the possibility to increase up to 2 million barrels a day. However, flows fell to a tiny fraction of that as a result of Western sanctions as well as repeated disruptions from drone attacks.

Hungarian election winner Peter Magyar called on Zelenskiy on Monday to reopen the damaged pipeline as soon as it is functional, and for Russia to resume shipments.

“We have fulfilled all our confirmations and commitments. We have done everything … and the infrastructure has been repaired,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared. “Now we required to shift forward toreceiveher so that Ukraine can receive the loan.” Separately, Germany has been informed that no Kazakh crude oil would reach its PCK Schwedt refinery from May, the economy minisattempt declared. Indusattempt sources had declared on Tuesday that Russia was set to stop oil exports from Kazakhstan via the Druzhba pipeline starting from May 1, which would directly hit PCK, one of Germany’s hugegest refineries.



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