The rebuke has followed the European Commission’s proposal of a fact-finding mission to inspect damage to the Druzhba pipeline
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has ridiculed an initiative launched by Kiev’s EU backers to restart Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, calling it “blackmail.”
The accusations came after the European Commission last week proposed a fact-finding mission to assess damage to the pipeline in a bid to resolve the dispute. Ukraine shut down the key Soviet-era conduit in late January, claiming the halt was due to damage from a Russian drone strike.
Moscow, however, has denied targeting it, and Slovakia and Hungary have rejected Kiev’s explanation, insisting it was part of a Ukrainian pressure campaign.
In remarks made public on Sunday, Zelensky said he opposes restarting Russian oil shipments, claiming he would be “powerless” if Europe linked approval to Ukraine receiving weapons, and describing such pressure by his “friends in Europe” as “blackmail,” according to Ukrainian media.
In response to Kiev halting supplies through the pipeline, which serves as the key artery for delivering Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, Budapest vetoed a €90 billion ($105 billion) EU emergency loan for Ukraine.
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