Zelenskyy: Resuming oil flows via Druzhba would effectively mean lifting sanctions on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that demands to resume the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline are essentially the same as easing sanctions against Russia.

Source: Zelenskyy speaking to journalists, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Details: Zelenskyy said he is being pressured to agree to the resumption of supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, although the issue, in his view, is much broader: the world must decide whether it is ready to resume selling Russian oil.

The president stressed that some leaders are trying to "skip" this step and described such an approach as wrong.

Quote: "They are forcing me to restart the Druzhba operation. How is that different from lifting sanctions on the Russians?"

Background:

• The Druzhba oil pipeline has not been operating for Hungary and Slovakia since the end of January after damage occurred on the Ukrainian section, triggering a political dispute between Kyiv, Budapest and Bratislava over the pace of repairs and the conditions for resuming transit.
• On 5 March, Zelenskyy said that the Druzhba pipeline could resume operations within about one to one and a half months.
• The European Commission proposed sending its fact-finding mission to Ukraine regarding the Druzhba pipeline, while Brussels has no information about a Hungarian delegation in Ukraine.

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