Ukraine could repair the Friendship oil pipeline within a month and a half, although it sees no technical or security reasons for doing so, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv, according to a Bloomberg report.
“I will be frank: I wouldn't restore it. This is my position, and I have shared it with European leaders,”
the Ukrainian president said. "This is Russian oil. There are things that are priceless," he added, noting that while the Russians are "killing" Ukrainians, Ukraine is now having to deal with securing Russian oil for “Orbán.”
The Ukrainian government is indeed under great pressure over the Friendship pipeline, as the EU, due to pressure from Hungary and Slovakia,is withholding €90 billion in loans intended for Ukraine until deliveries on the pipeline resume. Zelensky said that it would be possible to repair the pipeline in a month or a month and a half if EU member states cannot find another way for Ukraine to receive the €90 billion loan.
Members of the Hungarian government have been claiming for days that there is nothing wrong with the Friendship pipeline and that Ukraine is only withholding oil supplies as a means of exerting political pressure. According to PM Viktor Orbán, this is confirmed by satellite images, while Zelensky says that these images prove nothing. A few days ago, the Ukrainian president told an Italian daily newspaper that a ceasefire would be needed in order to repair the pipeline.
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