Hungarian delegation en route to Ukraine to inspect Druzhba pipeline

A Hungarian delegation led by Gábor Czepek, State Secretary at Hungary's Energy Ministry, has set out for Ukraine to hold talks on reopening the Druzhba oil pipeline and to assess its condition.

At the border crossing with Ukraine, Czepek said on Facebook the delegation wants to negotiate not only with the Kyiv government, which is responsible for energy policy, but also with ambassadors and a representative of the European Commission, arguing that resuming oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline is the only solution to Europe's energy crisis.

Czepek also mentioned the energy situation caused by the war in the Middle East.

He added that the delegation intends to determine the current state of the pipeline and create the conditions required for its operation to resume.

Czepek added that the delegation includes an oil industry expert, a senior government official with international experience, and an energy market analyst.

He also noted that the delegation had held talks with representatives of Slovakia's energy sector and government in Bratislava before travelling to Ukraine.

Last week Czepek said he had sent a letter to Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal giving Ukraine "three days" to reopen the Druzhba pipeline.

Earlier, Hungary and Slovakia announced plans to send a monitoring mission to the site of the damage to the Druzhba pipeline in the city of Brody in Ukraine's west in order to obtain an expert assessment.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Paris yesterday and said they share the view that oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline should be resumed.