The Druzhba pipeline is working again

On April 22, the transport of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline was resumed after it had been damaged in a Russian attack on Ukrainian territory. The day before, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the completion of repair work on the pipeline and its return to operation.

The Hungarian company MOL reported that the Ukrainian pipeline operator, Ukrtransnafta, had informed it of receiving the first deliveries of crude oil from Belarus. Slovakia’s Minister of Economy, Denisa Saková, stated that the resumption of oil supplies was expected on Thursday, April 23.

On the same day, EU sources reported that member states had reached a preliminary agreement on granting Ukraine a €90 billion loan and imposing the 20th package of sanctions on Russia. So far, the ambassadors of EU countries have given their approval. The formal adoption of the decision requires confirmation by the governments of individual member states through a written procedure, which is expected to be completed on Thursday afternoon.

The resumption of operations of the Druzhba pipeline should finally resolve the dispute over blocking the EU loan to Ukraine and the imposition of another sanctions package on Russia. However, Ukraine remains at war, and it is impossible to predict whether infrastructure related to the transit of Russian oil might suffer further damage.