BRUSSELS — Top European Union officials said Tuesday they have offered to pay Ukraine to repair a damaged section of the Druzhba oil pipeline that carries crude to Hungary, hoping to persuade Budapest to lift its veto on a major EU aid package for Ukraine.
Deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January after damage to the pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials have blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks. Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately blocking supplies — a claim Zelenskyy denies. In response, Orbán has vetoed a proposed 90-billion-euro EU loan intended to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs for two years and is also blocking a new round of EU sanctions on Russia.
In a joint statement, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU “has offered Ukraine technical support and funding” to fix the pipeline. “The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately,” they wrote.
Zelenskyy has been strongly opposed to allowing Russian energy to transit through Ukraine, arguing that energy revenues have helped finance the war waged by President Vladimir Putin and that Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Still, he said Tuesday that Ukraine is “undertaking all possible efforts to repair the damage and restore operations.”
Costa and von der Leyen told Zelenskyy they hope the EU offer of funding and technical help “can pave the way for overcoming the current blockage and ensure for the rapid repair of the pipeline.”
Orbán, however, said he would keep blocking the loan while oil shipments to Hungary remain interrupted. “If there’s no oil, there’s no money,” he said in a video posted to social media. He also alleged — without presenting evidence — that Ukraine was intentionally holding up oil flows to influence the outcome of Hungarian elections next month.
EU leaders have criticized Orbán for agreeing to the loan at a December summit and then reversing course, saying his veto undermines the EU principle of “sincere cooperation” among member states. Ukraine’s government is eager for the aid; Zelenskyy has said receiving at least an initial tranche next month is important.
Orbán, trailing in opinion polls, has campaigned on portraying Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary and has claimed that his reelection is the only guarantee of Hungary’s peace and security. He has also accused von der Leyen and Zelenskyy of trying to drag Hungary into the war.
After Russia used Europe’s dependence on its energy supplies as leverage in 2022, the EU largely moved away from Russian oil and gas. Hungary and Slovakia, which are landlocked and lack easy alternative suppliers, were granted temporary exemptions to continue receiving Russian oil.
