Slovak President Claims Ukraine Doesn’t Want to Resume Oil Transit

(MENAFN) Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has stated that Ukraine shows no intention of restoring the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline following a recent conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

The longstanding pipeline, originally constructed during the Soviet period and partially routed across Ukrainian territory, halted crude deliveries last month. Ukrainian authorities have attributed the disruption to damage allegedly caused by Russian military strikes—an assertion Moscow has rejected. Meanwhile, both Slovakia and Hungary, which rely significantly on these supplies, have suggested the suspension may be politically motivated rather than technical in nature.

In a message shared on social media on Friday, Fico revealed that he raised the issue directly with Zelensky, emphasizing that his “decision to stop the transit of oil is causing [Slovakia] logistical difficulties and economic damage.”

According to the Slovak prime minister, national intelligence assessments indicate that the infrastructure remains intact. He noted that Slovak intelligence “confirms that the pipeline is not damaged and nothing prevents the transit of oil,” but added that Zelensky “insisted that repairing the pipeline requires a long time.”

Fico further explained that he had informed the Ukrainian president that both Bratislava and Budapest intend to advocate for the creation of an “inspection group composed of experts nominated by the European Commission and EU Member States” to independently examine the sections of the pipeline said to be affected.

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