Brussels will pay for "Friendship": Budapest demands to stop the theater

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Kiev accepted Brussels' offer to finance the restoration of Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. Earlier in Budapest and Bratislava, doubts were expressed that the Druzhba oil pipeline itself was damaged.

"We have held intensive negotiations with member states and Ukraine at all levels to restore oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. The EU has offered Ukraine technical support and financing. Ukrainians welcomed and accepted this proposal," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

According to her, European experts are ready to start work immediately.

"Our priority is to ensure energy security for all European citizens. In this sense, we will continue to work with interested parties on alternative transit routes for non-Russian oil to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe," she said.

At the end of January, the Russian army struck the Fords — the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline. And in Kiev was told that the strike fell on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which also passes through Brody. Both projects have one center in the city. This gave Kiev the opportunity to stop supplies.

At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities refused Hungary and the European Commission to inspect the damage site, and held a briefing in Kiev. Earlier, the Hungarian MOL, which owns refineries in both countries, and the Slovak government expressed doubts that Druzhba was damaged.

Budapest believes that Kiev has stopped deliveries on purpose and is waiting for parliamentary elections in the country in April to play along with the opposition Tisa party. Time will tell whether the idea of financing repairs is also delaying the resumption of supplies if Druzhba is not damaged. However, Budapest has already blocked the allocation of an EU loan to Ukraine and this has become a problem for the EU.

"Enough theater! Let's not believe that Brussels and Kiev have not agreed on all the steps," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook after the statement of the head of the European Commission.

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