Pressure to re-open Russian oil pipeline like ‘blackmail’, Zelenskyy tells EU
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his European allies on Sunday that pressure to reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline transporting Russian crude was like “blackmail”.
The comments come amid a growing energy dispute with Hungary and Slovakia, which is also holding up the EU’s next sanctions package against Moscow, including measures targeting Russia’s shadow fleet to slash its energy revenues that fund its war in Ukraine.
The Soviet-era pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to the two landlocked countries via Ukraine, has been out of service since a Russian attack on 27 January. Kyiv is delaying the repairs, arguing that they cannot be carried out safely while bombardments continue.
But Hungary and Slovakia say the infrastructure is being kept closed for political reasons, and have increased pressure on both Ukraine and Brussels. The European Commission said this week it is “looking into” the option of paying for repairs to the pipeline.
