Gas prices are up some 70 percent and oil prices by 60 percent since the Iran War began, and some in Brussels are getting anxious about Kyiv dragging its feet on reopening the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, questioning the government’s motives. The pipeline serves as a key transit route for oil to both Hungary and Slovakia and EU authorities are growing concerned.
“We don’t have a clear picture of what the Ukrainian play here is,” said an EU diplomat to Euractiv.
Another source told the portal that there is simply no more reason for stalling. “If Druzhba is deblocked, all sides win,” he said, calling the hold-up “an enigma.”
Emphasizing that this is a game Kyiv cannot afford to play, the same diplomat underlined what’s at stake for all parties: “The EU wants to adopt another sanctions package and put pressure on Russia, Ukraine needs the loan, Hungary and Slovakia are critically dependent on the flows of oil and are running on reserves.”
Notably, Hungarians head to the polls on April 12, and the Hungarian government has asserted that the pipeline is not damaged, as satellite images reportedly prove, and that the pipeline has only been closed to hurt Orbán’s reelection chances.
The first 30 days of the conflict have already increased the EU’s fossil energy import costs by €14 billion, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said Tuesday following a video conference of the member states’ energy ministers. Jorgensen noted that the European Union is ready to help resolve issues surrounding the Friendship oil pipeline and is confident that it will be reopened, reports Hirado.
Although most EU countries have dramatically cut all imports of Russian oil, or eliminated them completely, Hungary and Slovakia have been given exemptions. However, the Druzhba had been used by other countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, and in the face of the current crisis, Brussels may be keen to have this as a much-needed backup.
“The European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen have already indicated that the Union is ready to contribute to managing the situation,” he said. He also assured press that despite the conflict in the Middle East and the energy crisis facing member states, Brussels’ solidarity with Ukraine is intact.
On this front, the EU commissioner highlighted that energy is a particularly important area in this context, as Russia continues to launch serious attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Brussels, he said, is trying to contribute as much as possible to the restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and to ensuring that the necessary energy is provided from other sources, so that the residents of Ukraine are not left without electricity and heating.
Jorgensen highlighted that energy prices are also a key issue in the EU, as member states cannot create economic security and jobs while facing a volatile energy market.
Nevertheless, tensions are high in Brussels, as the EU delegation already on the ground in Ukraine has been waiting for weeks for approval to inspect damaged sections of the pipeline. Diplomatic circles say the situation is a cause for concern, as Ukraine’s exact intentions are unclear.
