EU grovels for Russian oil

Ukraine is facing mounting pressure from European Union leaders to allow an independent inspection of the damaged Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, the Financial Times has reported.

The dispute follows accusations from Budapest and Bratislava that Kyiv is exaggerating the extent of damage caused by a Russian airstrike in January and may have deliberately shut down the pipeline. Ukrainian officials strongly deny the claims, saying there is clear evidence of significant destruction.

According to the report, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa raised the issue during their recent visit to Kyiv marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. They reportedly requested access for an independent EU assessment of the damage, but the request was declined. The European Commission did not immediately comment.

The row has taken on added urgency amid rising global energy prices following U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, which have disrupted oil and gas supplies worldwide.

A senior EU diplomat told the publication that Kyiv may have scored an "own goal" by giving Hungary grounds to delay approval of a €90 billion EU loan package intended to support Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has linked the restoration of the pipeline to his approval of the funding.

"We cannot say whether there is damage or not. There are very simple ways to document it and show that they are working hard to fix it. They have not done so," the diplomat said.

However, a senior Ukrainian official close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected suggestions of deliberate delay, saying technicians from state energy company Naftogaz had shared evidence of serious damage with European counterparts.

Naftogaz chief Serhiy Koretsky said a Russian strike ignited a blaze in a tank holding 75,000 cubic metres of oil, which took 10 days to extinguish. He added that transformers, power cables, equipment and the leak detection system were severely damaged.

"The air attack caused a fire in the largest oil storage facility in Europe, which is the size of a football field," Koretsky said, noting that a full assessment would take time due to the scale of destruction.

Ukraine's pipeline operator Ukrtransnafta previously confirmed that emergency repair work was underway but warned that continued Russian attacks have made safe operations difficult.

A Ukrainian official questioned the urgency of restoring the pipeline during wartime. "Why should we repair a pipeline — during a war and without a ceasefire — that supplies oil from Russia to Russia's friends?" the official said.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said a joint Hungarian-Slovak proposal to send a fact-finding mission to Ukraine had been rejected. Meanwhile, Orbán claimed to possess satellite data suggesting the pipeline was not damaged enough to halt operations and vowed to continue "countermeasures" until oil flows resume.

President Zelenskyy accused Orbán of politicising the dispute ahead of elections in Hungary and said he was not inclined to ease pressure. "Now you are blocking €90 billion — money we need for weapons, for survival," Zelenskyy told the Financial Times.

As tensions escalate, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova reportedly sought access through Zelenskyy's office to inspect the site or send EU diplomats, but the request was denied on security grounds.

Satellite images reviewed by the Financial Times reportedly show visible damage at the site of the Russian airstrike, though the full extent of destruction remains difficult to determine from imagery alone.

The impasse underscores deep divisions within the EU over Ukraine policy, energy security and financial support, at a time when geopolitical tensions and market volatility continue to test European unity.