Top European Union officials said on Tuesday they have offered to pay Ukraine to repair a damaged pipeline meant to carry crude oil to Hungary, in a bid to persuade the Government in Budapest to lift its veto on a massive aid package to the war-wracked country.
Ukraine and Hungary have been locked in an escalating feud since Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian officials have blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks. Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies – claims that Zelenskyy denies.
In retaliation, Orban has vetoed a major 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) EU loan to cover Ukraine’s military and economic needs for two years. Hungary is also blocking a new round of EU sanctions against Russia. EU leaders said in a statement Tuesday that the bloc “has offered Ukraine technical support and funding” to fix the pipeline.
“The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately,” European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
