Orbán and Fico ask Zelenskyy to allow investigative commission to inspect Druzhba pipeline

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has held a phone call with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico and announced that the two countries will set up an investigative commission to examine the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

According to Orbán, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his team say resuming the oil pipeline is impossible due to technical obstacles – a situation Orbán says jeopardises energy security in both Hungary and Slovakia.

"As far as Slovakia and Hungary know, this is not true – there are no technical obstacles, the pipeline has been closed exclusively for political reasons. That is why Robert Fico and I have agreed to set up a joint investigative commission. The task of this investigative commission will be to visit the site and see the reality of the situation with our own eyes", Orbán said on Facebook.

Orbán urges Zelenskyy to allow this investigative commission to enter Ukraine and provide the necessary conditions for its work.

Politico reported on 27 February that Orbán may have another condition for unblocking the EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine, beyond the restart of the Druzhba pipeline.

The day before, in a letter to European Council President António Costa, Hungary's prime minister hinted that he may step back in his blocking of the loan.

Orbán wrote an open letter to Zelenskyy on 26 February in which he accused him of acting against Hungary's interests.