Zelensky: Druzhba pipeline repairs due this spring

Ukraine expects to complete repairs on the Druzhba oil pipeline this spring, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, as tensions continue over energy transit routes involving Europe.

Speaking during a briefing with journalists, Zelensky said Kyiv remains committed to restoring the damaged infrastructure but stressed that future responsibility for oil supply flows will lie with European partners, News.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“We will complete the repairs because that is the agreement. I told them we would finish this spring,” Zelensky said, adding that significant restoration work has already been carried out.

The Druzhba pipeline, which historically transported Russian crude oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia, was taken offline after it was damaged in a Russian strike in western Ukraine in late January, according to Kyiv.

The disruption quickly escalated into a political dispute. Budapest and Bratislava accused Ukraine of deliberately restricting transit and warned they could oppose major European Union financial support packages in response.

Zelensky, however, linked the issue to broader energy security negotiations, suggesting that if oil transit becomes tied to EU funding discussions, Ukraine is prepared to restore the system once repairs are complete.

He also noted that some infrastructure damage, including storage facilities, cannot be quickly restored due to the scale of destruction and ongoing security risks.

The pipeline dispute has become politically sensitive in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has used the issue in domestic messaging, accusing Ukraine of energy-related pressure tactics.

Zelensky said Hungary’s internal political developments, including upcoming elections, are separate from Ukraine’s decisions and should not be directly connected to the pipeline issue.

Access to the damaged site has remained restricted, with Kyiv citing security concerns, even as European and Hungarian observers have sought to assess the extent of the damage.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada