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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said he reached agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the need to restore the Druzhba oil pipeline, following a meeting on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Forum.
The pipeline, which carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary, was struck in a Russian drone attack in late January and has yet to be repaired. Bratislava and Budapest maintain that it remains operational, and accuse Kyiv of using the matter for political blackmail.
“We discussed the need to resume the transit of Russian oil through Ukrainian territory to Slovakia. I am glad that we share the same opinion with the European Commission on this issue,” Fico said in a statement published on social media following the talks.
Von der Leyen issued a post of her own after the meeting, but made no direct reference to the pipeline.
“We discussed the need for affordable energy prices for Europeans while maintaining secure supplies for Slovakia and the EU. Our energy independence is at stake,” she said, adding that the matter would be a central topic at next week’s European Council summit.
The Commission has offered both technical assistance and financing to Ukraine for the repairs.
Fico quoted von der Leyen as sharing his position on restoration.
“We agree that the Druzhba pipeline must be restored. If it is damaged – we maintain that it is not – it must be repaired. We offer our repair capacities,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated reluctance to proceed without preconditions.
“To be honest, I would not repair it,” he said last week, stating that any works would be dependent on a ceasefire and could take up to six weeks to complete.
The dispute has paralysed the EU’s aid distribution to Ukraine as Hungary blocked a €90 billion EU loan package in response to the pipeline standoff. On Tuesday Fico threatened to withhold EU financial support for Ukraine if the pipeline remains unrepaired and Viktor Orbán loses elections in April.
Earlier, Hungary and Slovakia jointly established an expert group and formally requested access to the damaged site. Kyiv has not responded. Two weeks ago, the Commission urged Ukraine to accelerate repair works.