The European Commission would like Ukraine to resume the Druzhba oil pipeline, but since there is a risk of repeated attacks from Russia, the decision to do so should be made by Ukraine.
This was stated by European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen at a briefing, a correspondent for Suspilny reports.
“The Ukrainian government has committed to repairing it (the Druzhba pipeline – ed.). But given that, of course, there is a high risk of repeated Russian attacks on both personnel and infrastructure, we would welcome the resumption of the pipeline, but the decision on whether to repair it and when remains solely with Ukraine ,” she said.
EC Spokesperson Paula Pinho noted that the pipeline was damaged by a Russian attack, and “there is no room for misinterpretation or ambiguity.”
“The Ukrainian government has committed to repairing the pipeline. Now we know again how events will develop – the Ukrainians repaired the infrastructure that is being destroyed every day, and then it is being destroyed again. And so we have to remind ourselves that the more independent we are from Russian fossil fuels, the better off we will be and the less likely we will find ourselves in this situation,” she said.
The spokeswoman assured Hungary and Slovakia that the European Commission is ensuring that the citizens of these countries have everything they need for energy security.
Previously, the governments of Hungary and Slovakia announced the suspension of diesel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline are resumed.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Kyiv informed Budapest about the Russian shelling of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Brody, Lviv region, and the corresponding damage on January 27, and that Ukraine's accusations of delaying supplies are illogical.