EU to help reopen blocked oil pipeline in Ukraine

BRUSSELS: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday the bloc will help reopen a damaged pipeline that pumps Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary – after Budapest accused Kyiv of stalling on repairs in an escalating row.

“The EU has offered Ukraine technical support and funding. The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer,” von der Leyen said in a statement, published alongside an exchange of letters with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“European experts are available immediately,” she said.

Landlocked Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying reopening the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv says was damaged by Russian strikes in January.

EU member Hungary has in turn blocked a vital €90 billion (US$104 billion) loan to Ukraine as well as a fresh round of sanctions on Russia.

Tensions have ratcheted up between Kyiv and Budapest over the pipeline, with Zelensky and Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban trading barbs.