Druzhba oil pipeline could restart in a month and a half, Zelenskiy says

By Olena Harmash

KYIV, March 5 (Reuters) - The Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by a Russian strike in January may be technically ready for operation in a month and a half, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

The pipeline carries supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, which are exempt from European Union sanctions on Russian oil because of the difficulties of finding alternatives.

Both countries accuse Ukraine of dragging its feet on repairs - an allegation Kyiv rejects - and Hungary has moved to obstruct EU support for Ukraine in response.

Zelenskiy spoke at a briefing in Kyiv, where Sergii Koretskyi, the CEO of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz, said the pipeline's main pumping station had been damaged in the attack.

Zelenskiy said he did not want to restart Druzhba because it transports Russian oil, but Kyiv might have no choice if reopening the line were the only way to unblock a key EU aid package.

"We can convey the information that repairs are possible within this month and a half if EU countries find no other option but to block funds for our military, solely because we should supply Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia," Zelenskiy told reporters.

"We will prepare everything, and the decision will then be made accordingly," he said, after chairing a meeting with his top government and parliamentary officials.

DISPUTE OVER OIL SUPPLIES

The dispute flared after deliveries were halted on January 27, when a Russian drone strike severely damaged infrastructure in western Ukraine. Despite the war, now in its fifth year, Ukraine has continued to transit oil to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU states still importing Russian crude.

Tensions have risen further as global energy prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel started airstrikes on Iran last weekend, disrupting oil and gas supplies.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a pro-Moscow leader facing elections next month, has threatened to force Ukraine with "political and financial tools" to reopen the pipeline.

Hungary has also delayed approval of a 90-billion-euro ($104 billion) EU financing package to Ukraine, insisting that shipments resume.

Zelenskiy said there were no alternative financial options for cash-strapped Ukraine.

Naftogaz's Koretskyi said repairs were underway but the damage was extensive, including to the pumping station, electronics, and other key equipment, and the work would take time. He added that Ukraine was assessing funding needs for underground reservoirs because of Russia's continued attacks.

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