Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused several European partners of attempting to pressure Ukraine into reopening a key pipeline which transports Russian oil to Central Europe.
Zelensky believes that doing so would weaken sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The key pipeline in question Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian authorities say the pipeline was damaged by Russian air strikes in January and has since been out of operation.
Hungary is one of the last European countries to remain happily and heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies. Recently, Budapest blocked additional EU sanctions against Moscow and a proposed €90bn financial package for Kiev until the pipeline is restored.
EU officials have urged Kiev to repair the pipeline and allow inspectors to examine the damage, fearing that Zelensky’s resistance will strengthen Orbán’s electoral position. Orbán is one of the EU’s most vocal opponents.
Zelensky, however, argued that reopening the route would contradict the logic of sanctions. Allowing Russian oil to transit Ukraine while the EU simultaneously attempts to restrict its sale elsewhere, he said, would amount to a de facto relaxation of economic pressure on Moscow.
“We either allow Russian oil to be sold or we do not,” he said. “If we are forced to restore Druzhba, how is that different from lifting sanctions?”
He also pointed out that if the EU reduced weapons deliveries to refusing to resume oil transit, “that would be blackmail”.
Zelensky emphasized that the EU’s €90bn support package had already been approved by all 27 member states and should therefore be implemented.
His comments come after the United States temporarily eased certain restrictions on Russian oil purchases to stabilize global energy supplies following the US–Israel war with Iran.
Several European leaders have expressed disapproval.
“For us, this is like oil,” he said, referring to Ukraine’s rapidly developing expertise in producing and deploying interceptor drones against Russian attacks. Beyond the energy dispute, Zelensky highlighted Ukraine’s growing drone industry, describing interceptor drones as the country’s modern strategic resource.
According to Zelensky, Washington has contacted Ukraine repeatedly about possible cooperation on a$50bn joint drone-production agreement, as countries in the Gulf look for ways to defend themselves against inexpensive Iranian-designed drones. Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading innovators in both producing and countering such systems after more than two years of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks. However, US attention has shifted from Ukraine the Middle East, and Zelensky knows it.
