Wed, 03/18/2026 – 08:01
https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/eu-pledges-technical-and-financial-aid-restore-druzhba-pipeline
European Union leaders announced Tuesday that the bloc will provide technical and financial assistance to Ukraine to help restore oil flow through a section of the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukraine.

Oil shipments through the pipeline were halted following a series of Russian missile strikes on the critical energy infrastructure in January, severing crude oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.

In a joint statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel condemned the Jan. 27 attacks, which hit key nodes of the transit network.

The disruption has left Central European nations scrambling to secure alternative energy sources as winter persists.

“Our priority is to ensure energy security for all European citizens,” the leaders said, noting that diplomatic and technical teams have been engaged in “intense discussions” with Ukraine and affected member states to repair the damage.

To expedite the recovery, the EU has finalized an agreement with Kyiv to provide both emergency funding and technical expertise.

According to the statement, Ukrainian authorities have accepted the offer, and European engineering experts are prepared for immediate deployment to the site of the damage.

While the immediate goal remains the restoration of the current flow, EU officials signalled a strategic shift toward long-term independence from Russian transit.

The Commission confirmed it is working with regional partners to establish alternative routes for non-Russian crude oil.

“The European Commission will continue to work with the concerned parties on alternative transit routes to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe,” the joint statement read.

EU’s announcement comes just days after President Volodymyr Zelensky accused European allies of attempting to “blackmail” Ukraine into restoring the flow of Russian crude oil through a damaged pipeline, calling the pressure a betrayal of the sanction’s regime against Moscow.

According to earlier reporting by the BBC, Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv that forcing the transit of Russian oil through Ukrainian territory is ideologically inconsistent with the bloc’s broader economic pressure on the Kremlin.

“We either sell Russian oil, or we don’t,” Zelensky said. “How is this different from lifting sanctions on the Russians? I am saying openly: I am against it.”

Currently, the stakes are high for Kyiv’s depleted treasury, with Hungary blocking a vital $103 billion (€90 billion) EU loan for Ukraine, conditioning its approval on the reopening of the pipeline. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, facing a difficult re-election campaign in April, has utilized a hardline stance against Ukraine to galvanize his base, accusing Kyiv of creating an oil blockade. 

EU officials indicated they would continue to monitor the situation closely to prevent further volatility in the European energy market.

EU Pledges Technical and Financial Aid to Restore Druzhba Pipeline