Ukraine has successfully completed the complex repair work on the section of the Druzhba oil pipeline that was severely damaged by a massive Russian missile strike earlier this year. The announcement was officially made on Tuesday, April 21, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his official Telegram channel following a strategic meeting with top government officials. The critical infrastructure is now fully prepared to resume operations and ensure the transit of energy resources to Central Europe.
“As determined in our direct communication with the European Union, Ukraine has completed the repair work on the section of the Druzhba oil pipeline that was damaged by a Russian strike. The oil pipeline can resume functioning. Although no one can currently guarantee that Russian strikes on the pipeline’s infrastructure will not happen again, our specialists have provided the basic conditions for restoring the pipeline system and its equipment,” the Head of State noted in his address.
According to President Zelensky, Ukraine directly links the successful resumption of this transit route to the unlocking of a comprehensive European support package for Ukraine, which the European Council has already approved. Furthermore, Kyiv expects reciprocal steps from its international partners regarding the European Union accession clusters, as Ukraine has fully completed its required homework on the initial negotiation blocks.
The President also emphasized the critical need to maintain and strengthen systemic sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. He called for continued efforts to diversify energy supplies to Europe, eliminating Moscow’s ability to use energy as a geopolitical weapon and blackmail tool.
In addition, Zelensky announced preparations for an international meeting in the “Energy Ramstein” format scheduled for later this week. The primary goal of this high-level gathering is to accelerate the allocation of necessary funding for ongoing restoration work and the construction of robust, multi-level physical protection for Ukraine’s vital energy facilities. Assuring the public and key industries, he added that domestic fuel volumes for April and May are fully secured, ensuring uninterrupted supplies for the ongoing agricultural sowing campaign and defense needs.
The historical context of the pipeline’s shutdown dates back to late January, when the transportation of Russian oil via the Druzhba route through Ukraine was halted following a devastating attack by Russia. At the time, the governments of Hungary and Slovakia baselessly accused Kyiv of deliberately stopping the transit.
In early March, President Zelensky promised that the Druzhba pipeline could be operational again within a month to a month and a half. Since then, the political landscape in Europe has seen notable shifts, including parliamentary elections in Hungary where Péter Magyar’s Tisza party emerged victorious. Recently, Magyar confirmed the changing diplomatic tone by stating that he expects the Druzhba pipeline to be fully launched this week, signaling a potential stabilization of energy markets in the region.