EU after talks with Hungary and Slovakia on Druzhba pipeline: "There is no immediate risk"
The Druzhba oil pipeline's shutdown does not pose a threat to the European Union's energy security at this stage, the EU's Oil Coordination Group has concluded after a video conference with the participation of Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia on Wednesday 25 February.
The EU experts also concluded that the suspension of Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline currently does not threaten the energy security of these countries.
"The Oil Coordination Group met this morning, and they discussed the state of play of security supply and any short-term risks, including those related to the damaged southern Druzhba pipeline… At this stage, there is no immediate risk to the EU's security of supply, both Hungary and Slovakia hold oil stocks in reserve," European Commission energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said.
Itkonen said that Hungary and Slovakia had confirmed that they had begun using their emergency oil stocks from strategic reserves.
It should be noted that all EU member states maintain oil reserves sufficient for at least three months, specifically to manage situations of this kind.
The group also reviewed alternative routes to ensure uninterrupted oil supplies to the countries concerned.
"There is an alternative supply route that can be used by Hungary and Slovakia, and this is the Adriatic pipeline from Croatia. Croatia confirmed at the meeting that non-Russian crude oil is being transported through the Adriatic pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia," Itkonen said.
She added that additional shipments of non-Russian oil contracted by the MOL Group were on their way to Croatia's oil terminal and would help maintain supply security for Hungary and Slovakia.
"We continue to monitor the security supply situation. We keep a close contact with all relevant member states, as well as Ukraine. Contacts happen at the highest level in the Commission… During her visit to Kyiv yesterday, [Commission] President von der Leyen thanked Croatian Prime Minister Plenković for helping to secure and increase oil transport to Hungary and Slovakia through the Adriatic pipeline. The president also asked for repairs to the Druzhba to be accelerated," she added.
Itkonen pointed out that the European Commission was taking all possible measures at all levels to ensure the security of supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.
"We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure", she concluded.
Hungary has blocked the European Union's allocation of €90 billion for Ukraine as well as the approval of the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia, and is threatening to maintain its veto until Kyiv restores the transit of Russian oil to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged as a result of a Russian air strike.
On 23 February, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico instructed that emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine be halted and said Slovakia could reconsider its position on Ukraine's EU membership; Hungary has made similar threats.
Slovakia says that Ukraine is allegedly not allowing Slovak specialists to visit the site of the strike on the Druzhba pipeline to assess the situation.
On 24 February in Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speed up repairs to the Druzhba pipeline.