Slovakia confirms it is receiving oil via Druzhba pipeline
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Oil flows to Slovakia through the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline resumed in the early hours of April 23, the Slovak Economy Ministry said.
The pipeline, used to funnel Russian crude to Slovakia and Hungary, went offline in late January after being damaged in a Russian attack.
Budapest and Bratislava accused Kyiv of deliberately withholding transit and, in response, blocked the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, with Hungary also vetoing a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) loan for Kyiv.
The two countries lifted their vetoes on April 22 after Druzhba resumed operations, with final EU approval for the sanctions and funds expected in the afternoon on April 23 via a written procedure.
The deliveries began at 2 a.m. local time, the Slovak Economy Ministry said in a press release.
"The intake of oil is currently proceeding in accordance with the approved daily schedule and the technical parameters of pumping," according to the statement.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar previously said that Bratislava is ready to approve the 20th package of sanctions "only once Russian oil arrives in Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline."
Hungary and Slovakia, both landlocked, were the only EU members still receiving Russian crude via the pipeline's southern branch before the disruption. The route accounts for roughly 86–92% of Hungary's oil imports and nearly all of Slovakia's supply.
Both governments are regarded among the most Kremlin-friendly in the EU, though Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban was ousted by Peter Magyar's opposition Tisza party in the parliamentary elections on April 12.
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