Druzhba Pipeline: Fico Confirms Earliest Resumption Date of March 3rd

Resumption Delayed: Oil Won't Arrive Until March 3rd at the Earliest

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed on Tuesday that the resumption of Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline is being repeatedly delayed. "According to the latest information, the oil will not arrive in February. The first tentative date is around March 3rd," Fico stated. This is the latest in a series of postponements – according to the SITA news agency, the resumption date has been pushed back more than thirteen times since January 28th.

The oil supply disruption has been ongoing since January 27th, when a Russian air strike damaged key facilities at the main pumping station near Brody in the Lviv region of Ukraine. The Druzhba pipeline supplies Slovakia and Hungary with a combined total of approximately 9 million tons of Russian oil annually – a strategic commodity for both countries.

Slovakia Declares State of Oil Emergency

The government declared a state of oil emergency on February 18th and decided to provide the Slovnaft refinery with up to 250,000 tons of oil from state material reserves. European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen confirmed that both Slovakia and Hungary have activated emergency reserves. According to EU rules, member states must maintain reserves covering at least 90 days of net imports – Brussels therefore emphasized that there is no immediate threat to the security of EU supply.

The Croatian Adria (JANAF) pipeline serves as an alternative route, which, according to its operator, can cover the annual needs of both Hungary (5.75 million tons) and Slovakia (4.66 million tons). However, both countries prefer cheaper Russian oil to non-Russian alternatives.

Zelenskyy: Repairs are Deadly Dangerous

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to commit to expediting repairs to the damaged pipeline. At a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Kyiv, he stated: "When you repair it, Russia will attack again. Our people were injured. For what? So that we lose more people?"

Zelenskyy also suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán negotiate an "energy ceasefire" directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Let the Hungarian Prime Minister talk to Russia and propose an energy ceasefire." Orbán responded by claiming that he would break the Ukrainian blockade and that Zelenskyy needs to "come to his senses."

Escalation and Retaliation

Fico accused Kyiv of hostile actions towards Slovakia and emphasized that the country has binding contracts for oil supplies. As a first retaliatory measure, Slovakia halted emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Hungary, meanwhile, blocked the provision of a 90 billion euro loan to Kyiv and new sanctions against Russia in the European Union.

The situation reveals the deep tension between the energy dependence of Central European countries on Russian raw materials and the geopolitical realities of the war in Ukraine. While Brussels is calling for expedited repairs, Kyiv is citing wartime conditions that make this impossible – and the March 3rd date remains only tentative.