Ukraine to begin launching Druzhba on April 21 – Bloomberg

Key technical tests of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was damaged in January, are scheduled for Tuesday. The resumption of its operations is linked to the release of financial aid to Ukraine from Hungary.

Bloomberg reports this.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has directly linked further decisions on the allocation of EU funds to the resumption of oil supplies via this route. Before the damage, the pipeline met the energy needs of Hungary and Slovakia, making its restart a critical factor for European diplomacy.

Successful tests on Tuesday are expected to allow oil to flow back into the system and grant Ukraine access to the necessary funding. Sources familiar with the situation note that the facility’s technical readiness is currently the main condition for a positive decision from Brussels.

The pipeline’s launch will help stabilize Central European energy markets, which have suffered from a shortage of raw materials following the January accident. At the same time, this decision holds political significance for resolving disputes within the European Union regarding support for Kyiv.

Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar made a high-profile statement regarding the resumption of operations on the Druzhba oil pipeline and addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The politician emphasized that the issue of energy supply should not be subject to political pressure and called for the unblocking of Russian oil transit.

Hungary’s future Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced his government’s readiness for constructive cooperation with Brussels. 

Mátyás spoke out against Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU.