The EU is criticizing Kyiv for refusing to allow experts to inspect the Druzhba pipeline

Ukraine’s decision not to allow an EU mission to inspect the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, has caused disappointment and disagreement in European capitals and in Brussels.

As Euractiv writes, diplomats are describing Kyiv’s actions as “incomprehensible” and “contradictory.”

It is noted that a group of EU inspectors, made up of national experts and coordinated by the European Commission, has already been in Ukraine for several weeks and is waiting for permission from Kyiv to visit the site of the latest attack on the critically important energy pipeline.

“If Druzhba is unblocked, all sides will benefit. The EU wants to impose new sanctions on Russia, Ukraine needs the loan, and Hungary and Slovakia are heavily dependent on oil supplies and are now using reserves or raising prices. The only way out of this situation is to personally verify what is actually happening,” an EU diplomat who asked not to be named said, calling the delay “unexplained.”

According to the outlet, some diplomats showed greater understanding toward Ukraine. One of them noted that, on a human level, it is understandable why Kyiv does not want to repair an asset that helps finance the other side’s war machine, calling the situation absurd. Another stressed that this concerns a country that is at war.

“In the EU, we are trying to move away from Russian gas and oil. Other sources of supply can be found. So the Druzhba issue has to be viewed precisely in that context,” a third diplomat explained.

As previously reported by Suspilne, citing sources, the European experts who arrived in Kyiv on March 18 to assess the timeline and cost of restoring the Druzhba pipeline after it was damaged in a Russian strike still have not received permission from the Ukrainian side to carry out the inspection. A source told the outlet that the Ukrainian authorities had planned to admit the experts before the EU summit in order to lift Hungary’s veto on a €90 billion loan for Kyiv. However, the summit took place on March 19, Budapest kept its veto in place, and now Kyiv believes there is no point in allowing European specialists to inspect the site.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders that restoring oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline would take about six weeks, provided there are no new Russian attacks. He said the damage was quite serious.

Meanwhile, European Council President António Costa positively assessed Ukraine’s promise to repair the pipeline within six weeks and recalled that the European Commission had offered Ukraine technical and financial support to ensure its restoration after the Russian missile strike.