Ukraine will repair Druzhba oil pipeline in spring, - Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy: Repair of Druzhba oil pipeline will be completed this spring

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was damaged by Russian attacks, are scheduled to be completed this spring.

According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, he made this statement during a conversation with journalists.

"If the issue of European funding in exchange for the ability to supply oil remains on the table, we have said that we will repair the 'Druzhba' pipeline. And the responsibility for the supply will lie with the Europeans. We will repair it because that is the agreement. I told them that we will finish this spring. A lot has already been done there," Zelenskyy said.

He noted, however, that it is impossible to quickly repair the damaged tanks, so the only option is to resume transit operations, with all the risks that entails.

"And we have even less idea whether the Russians will refrain from launching new attacks," the president added.

Commenting on the upcoming elections in Hungary, Zelenskyy said, "That's their business. We have nothing to do with their elections."

Russia's attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline

On January 7, a piece of infrastructure was damaged in Brody, Lviv Oblast, 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 Lviv Oblast 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.