Hungarian delegation heads to Ukraine for talks on Druzhba oil pipeline
A Hungarian delegation led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Gábor Czepek has departed for Kyiv, where it plans to hold talks on restoring the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
According to Ukrinform, Hungarian government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács reported this on X.
“A Hungarian delegation led by State Secretary Gábor Czepek has departed for Kyiv to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline and push for the rapid restoration of oil transit to Hungary,” Kovács wrote.
Speaking at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border crossing in Záhony before departure, Czepek said the mission’s goal is “to represent Hungary’s interests firmly at the negotiating table” and hold substantive talks with Ukrainian energy authorities, ambassadors in Kyiv, and a representative of the European Commission.
The State Secretary stressed that the Hungarian government believes energy security depends on maintaining access to affordable eastern resources, arguing that greater supply diversification provides stronger protection for Hungarian households and helps preserve the country’s system of utility price caps.
As reported by Ukrinform, on January 27 Russian forces struck energy infrastructure in the Lviv region, causing damage that halted the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sent an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for the immediate reopening of the pipeline.
President of the European Council António Costa and Zelensky agreed that Ukraine would assess how long it would take to repair the Druzhba pipeline damaged by Russia.
Following a phone conversation with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on February 27, Orbán said their countries would establish an investigative commission to assess the pipeline’s condition.
On Tuesday, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen held a meeting in Paris with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, during which the sides discussed the affordability of energy resources.
Photo: @zoltanspox