By Pavel Polityuk KYIV, March 19 (Reuters) - European Union experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, state energy firm Naftogaz said, after its closure in
EU Experts Visit Ukraine to Assess Druzhba Pipeline After Oil Supply Halt
By Pavel Polityuk
Assessment and Restoration Efforts for the Druzhba Pipeline
KYIV, March 19 (Reuters) - European Union experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, state energy firm Naftogaz said, after its closure in January caused a row with Hungary that is blocking an EU loan to Kyiv.
The EU last week proposed sending a mission to inspect the pipeline. Ukraine later said it had accepted the EU offer of technical support and funding to restore oil flows through the damaged pipeline.
Impact of the Pipeline Closure on Hungary and Slovakia
Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off from Russian oil deliveries via Druzhba since late January, after Kyiv said a Russian strike hit pipeline equipment in western Ukraine and would require time for repairs.
EU Support and Naftogaz Response
"Naftogaz appreciates the EU's offer of financial and technical assistance to rebuild the infrastructure assets of the Brody pumping station," Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretskyi said on X late on Wednesday.
He posted a photo of himself sitting at a table with several unnamed experts who he described as members of a "technical working group".
Restoration Standards and Security Measures
Koretskyi said the group's work should help Naftogaz and its subsidiary Ukrtransnafta restore the pipeline "in accordance with the highest European engineering and safety standards and to prevent further terrorist attacks."
He did not say whether the group of experts planned to visit the damaged oil pipeline itself.
Hungary’s Fact-Finding Mission and Political Tensions
Hungary this month sent a fact-finding mission to Ukraine to investigate the suspension of oil transit through the pipeline. Kyiv has not provided any official information on the outcome of the mission.
Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU countries still importing Russian oil, have accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the resumption of oil flows for political reasons.
Oil Transit Statistics and EU Political Response
Transit through the Ukrainian branch of Druzhba in 2025 hit a 10-year low of 9.7 million tons, Kyiv-based oil consultancy ExPro said. ExPro said Slovakia received 4.9 million tons of oil, while shipments to Hungary were 4.35 million tons.
EU leaders were expected to put pressure on Hungary's prime minister at a summit on Thursday to stop blocking the 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to Ukraine to keep up its fight against Russia's invasion.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Timothy Heritage)
