President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that Ukraine has completed repairs to the Druzhba pipeline, a critical artery of energy infrastructure that transports Russian oil through Ukrainian territory to Hungary and Slovakia. The system, which had been sidelined following attacks in August 2025, is expected to resume operations immediately. While Zelensky cautioned that security remains precarious given the threat of further Russian strikes, he confirmed that Ukrainian specialists have established the \"basic conditions\" necessary to restore the flow.
The technical restoration of the pipeline carries significant weight in the diplomatic arena. For months, a €90 billion European Union aid package for Ukraine has been held in limbo, largely due to opposition from Hungary. However, the political landscape in Budapest has shifted following the defeat of Viktor Orbán by Péter Magyar in April. With the physical flow of energy now secured, Kyiv argues that the primary justification for withholding the financial support has been removed.
\"It is essential that the European support package for Ukraine be unlocked,\" Zelensky stated, framing the pipeline's repair as the fulfillment of a specific EU request. The move highlights the complex, often contradictory nature of the conflict’s economic geography: Ukraine continues to maintain and repair the very infrastructure that delivers Russian resources to European neighbors, using its role as a transit hub as a vital piece of leverage to secure its own financial future.
With reporting from InfoMoney.
Source · InfoMoney
