Reference to €90bn loan and 20th sanctions package dropped from EU statement on Druzhba pipeline

Tetyana Vysotska, VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - 17 March, 17:31

Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa. Photo: Getty Images

A sentence linking the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline to a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine and the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia has been removed from a joint statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa dated 17 March.

Source: European Pravda correspondent in Brussels

Details: The EU statement on the Druzhba pipeline was edited, with a sentence removed that had linked the resumption of Russian oil supplies to Europe to both a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package against Russia.

The current version of the statement, released by the European Commission's press service at 12:04 Brussels time, states that the EU has offered technical support and funding to repair the Druzhba pipeline, and that Ukraine has accepted the proposal.

However, in the initial version published at 11:54, the final sentence read: "This [the restoration of the Druzhba pipeline's operation – European Pravda] is also a necessary step in order to resume discussions on much-needed financial support for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package ahead of the European Council."

This sentence has been removed from the updated version.

The statement by von der Leyen and Costa was corrected on the official websites of the European Commission and the European Council, as well as on their official social media pages.

Background:

On 17 March, it was reported that Ukraine has accepted the EU's proposal, under which the EU will provide financial and expert support to help restore oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline.
In a letter to EU leaders, Zelenskyy promised to restore oil flow through the Druzhba pipeline in approximately one and a half months.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said Hungary will continue to block key EU decisions important for Ukraine until transit via Druzhba is restored.

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