Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused European allies of attempting to "blackmail" Kyiv into reopening the Soviet-era Druzhba crude oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
The pipeline was damaged by Russian air strikes in January and remains unrepaired. Hungary-dependent on Russian energy-is blocking both new EU sanctions on Moscow and a €90bn loan for Ukraine until the line resumes operation.
Zelensky said restoring Russian oil transit through Ukraine would effectively lift EU sanctions-and contradicts Kyiv’s own principled stance. He called the EU’s conditional loan offer political coercion.
He also criticized the US’s 30-day sanctions waiver on Russian oil already at sea, stating Ukraine does not support relaxing sanctions-and warned that US focus on the Middle East may delay weapons deliveries.
On defense cooperation, Zelensky described Ukrainian interceptor drones as "Ukrainian oil"-highlighting a stalled $50bn joint production proposal with the US and growing global demand for Kyiv’s drone expertise.