KYIV, April 21 (Reuters) - The Druzhba oil pipeline pumping Russian oil to Europe is ready to resume operations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, signalling that Kyiv now
Ukraine to restart oil flows via Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday, source says
Ukraine’s Druzhba Pipeline Restart: Key Developments and Reactions
By Yuliia Dysa and Pavel Polityuk
Background and Suspension of Oil Flows
KYIV, April 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine will resume pumping oil through the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday, an industry source said, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said repairs were complete and urged the EU to unblock a 90-billion-euro loan halted by an argument over the pipe.
A lengthy suspension of oil flows through the pipeline following a Russian attack on a pumping facility in Ukraine in January sparked an angry backlash from European Union members Hungary and Slovakia, which remain reliant on Russian oil imports via Druzhba.
They accused Kyiv of deliberately dragging its feet over the repairs, which it denied. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had vetoed the two-year EU loan despite it already being approved by the European Council, outraging many members of the 27-nation bloc.
Political Changes and Repair Completion
Orban - an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - lost a bid for reelection on April 12, opening the way to a de-escalation of the crisis. Zelenskiy - who had previously said the pipeline would restart by end-April - announced on Tuesday that repairs were complete and it was ready to restart.
"Oil pumping is scheduled to begin tomorrow at lunchtime," the industry source said, adding that Hungarian oil firm MOL had made the first transit application.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first shipment would be divided equally between Hungary and Slovakia, but did not specify the volume of oil to be pumped.
Tensions Between Ukraine and the EU
The suspension has stirred tensions between Zelenskiy and EU officials, whom he accused of "blackmail" over the pressure to promptly repair what Ukraine described as a severely damaged section of the pipe.
Ukraine had repeatedly said it was making the repairs as fast as possible. European Council President Antonio Costa, in a post on X, thanked Zelenskiy for delivering on his promise to restore oil flows.
Speaking in his nightly video address, the Ukrainian leader called in turn for officials in Brussels to ensure the release of the funding: "There can now be no grounds for blocking it."
"The European Union asked Ukraine to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, which the Russians had damaged. We have repaired it. We hope that the European Union will also implement the agreements."
EU Response and Financial Implications
EU Official Expects Action
EU OFFICIAL EXPECTS ACTION
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, said she expected a positive decision on the loan within 24 hours.
Ukraine is reliant on Western financial support, four years into the war with Russia. It needs $52 billion in external funding this year and economists say it could start to run low on money by June without the EU loan.
Assurances on Future Funding
European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Tuesday that Ukraine's funding needs for 2026 were assured and the EU was likely to make the loan's first disbursement at the end of May or in early June.
Russia’s Position and Pipeline Politics
The Kremlin had said earlier in the day that Russia was technically ready to restart pumping oil through the pipeline.
However, industry sources told Reuters that Russia plans to stop sending Kazakh oil to Germany via a separate spur of Druzhba from May 1.
Orban had made the pipeline suspension an important part of his campaign for the April 12 vote, accusing Ukraine of trying to sabotage his reelection.
The winner of the election, Peter Magyar, called on Monday for Ukraine to reopen Druzhba as soon as it was functional, and for Russia to resume oil shipments to Hungary.
Outlook for Druzhba Pipeline and European Energy Security
Transit through the pipeline hit a 10-year low of 9.7 million tons last year, with Slovakia receiving 4.9 million tons and Hungary 4.35 million, according to Kyiv-based oil consultancy ExPro.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly called on Europe to diversify energy supplies and not to rely on flows via Druzhba.
"No one can currently guarantee that Russia will not repeat attacks on the pipeline infrastructure," he said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Pavel Polityuk; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Bart Meijer, Gergely Szakacs and Jan Lopatk; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Ron Popeski, Matthew Lewis and Daniel Wallis)
