The European Union will provide technical expertise and funding to assist Ukraine in repairing a damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine has accepted this offer. The repair work focuses on a key pumping facility near Brody in western Ukraine, which was heavily damaged in a late January aerial attack that Kyiv authorities attributed to Russia, halting oil flows.

Political and Economic Context

Hungary and Slovakia, which continue to receive Russian oil under a 2022 EU exemption, have protested the lengthy repair timeline, citing higher energy costs and potential fuel shortages. Both countries had previously indicated a willingness to veto a proposed €90 billion EU support package for Ukraine if the pipeline was not restored. In a joint letter, EU leaders noted Hungary explicitly linked its current inability to agree to that financial package and a new sanctions package against Russia to the pipeline issue, prompting the renewed EU repair offer.

Timeline and Technical Solutions

Despite the EU support, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated it would take approximately one and a half months to fully restore operations at the Brody station. Since the attack, Ukraine has been developing an alternative technical solution to bypass the station and partially resume oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia in the interim.

Diverging Views on Energy Security

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the EU's priority is energy security and that it will work on establishing alternative routes for non-Russian crude oil to Central and Eastern Europe. In contrast, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto accused Kyiv and Brussels of coordinating an "oil blockage" as a political action aimed at undermining Hungary's ruling party ahead of elections. He asserted the pipeline is technically ready to transport oil immediately, based on a Hungarian inspection in March, but did not specify if Hungary would drop its opposition to the EU's Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions packages as a result.

Challenges with Alternative Supply Routes

Efforts to shift Hungary to alternative oil supplies, specifically via the Adria pipeline linked to Croatia, have stalled. Hungary's largest oil and gas company, MOL Group, has repeatedly refused to agree to a long-term capacity test on that pipeline.