EU asks Ukraine to allow inspection to oversee damaged pipeline

The European Commission has asked Ukraine to allow inspectors to oversee the damage on the Druzhba pipeline, in line with a key demand from Hungary as it maintains a veto on a critical €90 billion loan for Ukraine until it becomes operational again.

Kyiv has not yet answered to the Commission’s formal request, issued Thursday.

“We are in intense discussions and contact with Ukraine on this issue, as has been the case for a couple of weeks already,” a Commission spokesperson said.

“We have proposed a mission to inspect the pipeline to Ukraine.”

The Commission spokesperson declined to provide further details.

Brussels insists it must first receive Kyiv’s approval before it can determine the mission’s scope and purpose. The situation is first for the Commission, which has never carried out an inspection of the sort, and has no legal precedent in an extraordinary spat between Hungary, which accuses Ukraine of sabotage, and Kyiv, which blames Russia.

The inspection could include representatives from the Commission’s energy departments, member states, Ukraine and the private sector. It was not immediately clear that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will approve it.

Hungary and Slovakia have lobbied for two weeks for what they describe as a fact-finding mission to explore the pipeline, which transits through Ukraine carrying cheap Russian crude. Both countries insist they have intelligence to prove the Soviet-era pipeline is operational and transit is being blocked for “political reasons”.

Instead, Kyiv says it was severely damaged during a Russian drone attack on 27 January and needs to be fixed, but the complexities of the war are delaying reparations.

On Wednesday, a four-person delegation from Budapest entered Ukraine to visit Druzhba. The delegation, which was not coordinated with the Commission, was treated as “tourists” by Kyiv and denied access to the site. Zelenskyy said Wednesday he “did not know what the Hungarians” were doing in Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made a deeply personal confrontation with Zelenskyy a central element in his re-election campaign, where he trails much younger, conservative candidate Peter Magyar in opinion polls by double digits.

“Hungary is not a country you can threaten into submission, nor one that yields to blackmail. Our oil deliveries are long overdue, so let’s get things moving: open the Friendship (Druzbha) pipeline!” Orbán said on Thursday, addressing Zelenskyy.

In a separate video, Orbán claimed “the Ukrainians” are threatening his family, without providing details. Meanwhile, Ukraine accuses Hungarian authorities of theft, confiscation and attempted kidnapping after a bank convoy belonging to a Ukraine state bank was assaulted and its content, including cash and gold, seized in Budapest.

Tight deadline for Ukraine

Following pressure from Brussels to fix the pipeline, Zelenskyy has said he is committed to providing a date for the “possible reopening” of oil deliveries.

Still no timeline has been confirmed.

Zelenskyy previously warned that technicians on site are at risk of being killed by Russian strikes and questioned the risks involved in the repairmen work. Energy infrastructure is considered a strategic point for Ukraine, which further complicates access to the pipeline structure due to heightened security.

Meanwhile, the Commission is considering financial assistance to accelerate repairs, though no specific amount has been announced.

The executive estimates that Kyiv has sufficient foreign funding to maintain its regular spending through the end of April, funded by a previously agreed G7 line of credit and a new programme approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year.

After April, the country will need access to the €90 billion loan inked by the 27 leaders in December. Yet, Orbán’s veto is likely to drag on until Hungarians vote on 12 April in a nasty campaign where Zelenskyy is often framed as corrupt and money-grabbing.

To add complications, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, has said he could carry on the veto until oil deliveries resume even if his Hungarian ally loses power.

Earlier this week, Fico met with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the matter and offer repair assistance. Von der Leyen has also been in touch with Zelenskyy, attempting to strike a delicate balance between the clashing narratives.