European Union considers funding Druzhba pipeline repairs to bypass Hungarian and Slovakian aid blockades

The EU weighs financial support to repair Ukraine's Druzhba pipeline, aiming to unlock a Kyiv loan currently blocked by Hungary and Slovakia's energy demands.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 5, 2026, 7:24 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Eurointegration

The Druzhba deadlock and EU intervention

The European Union has entered a complex negotiation phase to unlock a vital loan for Ukraine by addressing the infrastructure demands of Hungary and Slovakia. According to sources familiar with the matter, the European Commission is considering utilizing its existing budgetary assistance framework to fund the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline. Beyond financial aid, the EU is prepared to offer technical expertise to restore the facility, which has become a central bargaining chip in the ongoing regional conflict.

Verifying the scale of Russian sabotage

The push for repairs follows a series of devastating Russian strikes on the pipeline infrastructure. Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi reported that a major attack in January 2026 caused a storage tank fire that burned for ten days, destroying power cables, transformers, and leak detection systems. While Ukraine maintains that the site has been targeted nearly two dozen times, Budapest and Bratislava have expressed skepticism. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently presented satellite imagery to claim that "critical damage" is absent, a narrative used to justify their continued veto on Ukrainian aid.

Diplomatic friction with Hungary and Slovakia

The EU’s executive branch is currently coordinating a fact-finding mission to verify the extent of the damage on the ground. This mission is seen as a necessary step to counter the "disinformation" narratives circulating in several European capitals. Hungary, in particular, has frustrated EU ambassadors by breaking a December promise to approve the loan. Budapest continues to insist on the cheaper Russian oil supplied via Druzhba, refusing to consider alternative routes like the Croatian corridor, which many EU officials view as a strategic effort to maintain ties with Moscow.