Ukraine set to resume oil transit via Druzhba pipeline

Ukraine is set to resume oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline in the second half of the day on April 22, according to an industry source cited by Reuters.

The move is part of Kyiv’s efforts to secure a €90 billion loan package it urgently needs.

“Oil pumping is scheduled to begin tomorrow at ​lunchtime,” the source said, adding that Hungarian oil company MOL has already submitted the first transit request. 

An extended disruption of oil deliveries through the pipeline after a Russian strike on a pumping station in Ukraine in January triggered strong criticism from EU members Hungary and Slovakia, both of which continue to rely on Russian crude supplied via Druzhba.

They accused Kyiv of intentionally slowing down repair works, a claim Ukraine rejected.

The interruption further deepened tensions between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU officials, whom he described as engaging in "blackmail" amid pressure to urgently restore a section of the pipeline that Ukraine said was severely damaged.

Ukrainian authorities repeatedly maintained that repair operations were being carried out as quickly as possible. European Council President Antonio Costa, in a post on X, thanked Zelenskyy for delivering on his commitment to restore oil flows.

In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian leader in turn called on officials in Brussels to ensure the release of funding, saying: "There can now be no grounds for blocking it."

By Jeyhun Aghazada