Orbán and Zelenskyy clash again over Druzhba, with Brussels in between

Budapest and Kyiv have once again clashed over the status of the Druzhba pipeline, putting Brussels in an awkward position amid a dispute that has stalled a €90 billion European Loan to Ukraine and shows no sign of being resolved soon.

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In a new letter, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose veto has outraged his fellow leaders, asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to “increase political pressure” on Ukraine to restart crude deliveries through the Soviet-era pipeline.

He also asked the executive to “enforce relevant provisions” of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which he argues is being breached by the interruption.

“There is no technical or operational reason that would prevent the pipeline from reverting to normal operations immediately,” Orbán told von der Leyen in a letter dated 3 March and shared on social media.

“The lack of willingness on the side of Ukraine to reopen the Druzhba pipeline is due to political reasons, with the intention to interfere in the ongoing Hungarian election campaign,” he goes on.

“We cannot accept foreign interference in our democratic processes, and we will repel all such attempts.”

Asked about Orbán’s claims, the European Commission insisted that Druzhba has been “rendered non-operational” following a Russian attack.

According to Ukrainian authorities, the section of the pipeline that runs through Lviv was attacked and set aflame by Russian drones on 27 January.

“We continue with our contacts with Ukrainians, we work with all member states concerned by this, notably Slovakia and Hungary,” a Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday. “Our priority remains the security of supply of our member states.”

In the letter, Orbán says that his proposal for a fact-finding mission to the damaged pipeline has been “rejected”, adding that diplomatic efforts have apparently reached an impasse. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has also called for the mission to go ahead.

The Commission said it “has not taken part in any fact-finding mission nor has there been a request from Ukraine”. Though the executive has no track record in this sort of exercise, it has indicated it could participate if Kyiv gives permission.

Zelenskyy hits back

With Orbán showing no signs of withdrawing his veto, officials in Brussels are expecting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “make a move” that could lead to a solution.

Last week, von der Leyen publicly asked Zelenskyy to accelerate repairs on the Druzhba pipeline, but he did not fully commit. The EU delegation in Kyiv has made overtures to visit the site of the incident, but is still waiting for an answer.

Von der Leyen is scheduled to hold a phone call with Zelenskyy later on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president insists that repair works cannot happen “that fast” because continued Russian shelling will put technicians and experts at risk.

“If European leaders ask us to do this, we must understand what the price of doing so is,” Zelenskyy said at a press briefing on Monday.

“Has anyone heard Orbán or Fico say ‘We are very grateful to Ukraine’ or ‘We are very sorry for the families and loved ones who suffered’? Not a single word, except that we owe them again,” Zelenskyy added.

“I asked: ‘What kind of price is this?’ And (I said) to European leaders: ‘What is the price? Do people have to die? Do they have to be injured? And you will continue to block everything for Ukraine.”

In an interview with Corriere della Sera published on Tuesday, Zelenskyy doubled down, saying Orbán is “of little value” and predicting he would be defeated in the Hungarian general election on 12 April. Orbán is lagging in opinion polls by double digits.

“I’ve said many times that we can’t buy energy from Russia. Putin would immediately use the new financial revenue to buy weapons to use against Ukraine,” he told Corriere.

While the Commission prefers to find a resolution via the pipeline, it is not ruling out resorting to innovative legal avenues to bypass the Hungarian veto. Kyiv needs a fresh injection of foreign aid in early April, leaving Brussels with a tight timeline.

“That may not be visible, but we are working on options to precisely unblock the €90 billion loan, and we are very much aware of the fact that the clock is ticking,” said Paula Pinho, the Commission’s chief spokesperson.

A focus of discussions is the principle of sincere cooperation, given that Orbán himself had agreed to back the aid scheme in exchange for a total opt-out for his country.