Slovakia wants to check situation with Druzhba oil pipeline directly in Ukraine, - Foreign Minister Blanar

Slovakia wants to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár stated that he considers it necessary to assess the situation regarding the Druzhba oil pipeline directly in Ukraine.

According to Censor.NET, this is mentioned in a post by the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the social media platform X.

Blanar wants to assess the situation on the ground

"We have once again been informed that, according to Ukraine, the "Druzhba" oil pipeline could be operational in six weeks. However, such deadlines have been announced several times before. Therefore, we consider it necessary to assess the situation directly on site, with the participation of experts who could also assist with the necessary repair work on the pipeline," Blanard noted.

Slovakia considers the information provided by Ukraine to be insufficient

At the same time, another statement from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that Slovakia considers the information currently provided regarding the situation on the oil pipeline to be "insufficient" and views Ukraine’s approach as "unacceptable, as it fuels speculation that is not in its interests."

"EU foreign ministers in Brussels expressed clear support for the requests made by Slovakia, Hungary, and the European Commission to Ukraine regarding the provision of information on the status of the Druzhba oil pipeline," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

What led up to

Media reports indicated that on March 18, representatives of the European Union will arrive in Ukraine to assess the damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously promised European partners that transit would resume in about a month and a half.
At the same time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Budapest’s position on financial support for Ukraine will not change until oil supplies via the "Druzhba" pipeline are resumed.

Russia's attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline

On January 7, a piece of infrastructure was damaged in Brody, Lviv region, as a result of a Russian attack. Naftogaz reported that the Russian military had attacked a critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine. A fire broke out, and operations at the facility were halted.
According to the publication Enkorr, the facility in question is located in the city of Brody in the Lviv region and is connected to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On February 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack. He also said that Budapest was preparing to lodge a complaint regarding transit issues.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia have announced a suspension of diesel fuel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies resume via the Druzhba pipeline.
On March 11, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a group of Hungarian citizens had entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.
President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.