Hungary and Slovakia resume receiving Russian oil via Druzhba pipeline

Russian oil is flowing again through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. This was announced this morning by Hungarian energy company MOL and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková.

"I hope operations remain stable and there are no more attacks on energy infrastructure," Saková wrote on Facebook.

The disruption was caused by one of the attacks on the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine carried out as it enters its fourth year of defending itself against Russian aggression.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday that Ukrainian drone attacks on the Druzhba pipeline in Russia were linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's opposition to Ukraine joining the European Union. Orbán subsequently threatened Kyiv with long-term consequences.

Even after Russian troops launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hungary has maintained what it describes as pragmatic relations with Moscow. This has created tensions within the European Union, where many countries take a much tougher stance towards Russia and describe Orbán's government's position as pro-Russian.

Last summer, Ukraine halted the transit of oil from Russian company Lukoil to Hungary and Slovakia. Kyiv added the company to its sanctions list, which the two countries then cited as the reason they could not allow the transit. Hungary at the time called Ukraine's move blackmail.

Last year, Russian oil transit through Ukraine to Europe via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline fell by 16 percent to around 11.36 million tonnes. It reached its lowest level since at least 2014 and was probably the lowest since 1991, when Ukraine gained independence. Deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic fell by more than a third.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned imports of Russian oil. However, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were granted an exemption for deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, giving these landlocked countries time to secure alternative sources of oil imports. Since this spring, the Czech Republic has no longer been dependent on the Druzhba pipeline, thanks to the expansion of the western TAL pipeline.