Oil is moving again through the Druzhba pipeline — clearing the final hurdle to unlock the EU’s €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
Shipments resumed early Thursday, with crude starting to reach Slovakia after nearly three months of disruption triggered by a Russian strike in January on the pipeline’s Ukrainian section.
Slovakia’s Economy Minister Denisa Saková confirmed the restart. “As of 2:00 a.m. today, the intake of oil into Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline has resumed,” she wrote on Facebook. “Oil deliveries are currently proceeding in line with the agreed plan.”
The restart breaks a months-long standoff that had frozen the EU’s largest financial package for Kyiv. Hungarian outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán staunchly blocked the loan — backed by profits from frozen Russian assets — demanding that oil flows be restored before lifting its veto.
POLITICO reported Wednesday that the deal hinged entirely on the pipeline. Five EU diplomats said Hungary and Slovakia had tied their support to oil physically reaching their territory, with ambassadors agreeing to move forward only once deliveries resumed.
“Some caution is needed as there might still be technical issues,” one diplomat said. But another predicted the restart would be enough, pointing to “very scientific calculations” of when oil would arrive.
Hungarian oil company MOL announced crude began moving through Ukraine at noon on Tuesday and is expected to reach Hungary and Slovakia by Thursday at the latest. Sáková had earlier pointed to a similar timeline in a previous Facebook post, saying supplies should resume Wednesday morning.
With flows now underway, the condition set by Hungary appears to have been met — clearing the way for the EU to move ahead with the loan.
If ministers sign off this week, Kyiv could start seeing the money as early as May, offering a much-needed boost to its war-strained economy as it continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.
