The Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia to Slovakia and Hungary, will be repaired by the end of April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
The pipeline runs through Ukraine. It has been closed since January, when Ukraine said it was hit by a Russian drone strike. Since then, the matter has developed into a major point of contention between Zelensky and Hungary's outgoing Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
- As for the oil pipeline, it will be repaired - as we promised - by the end of April, Zelensky said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- Not completely, but enough to function, the Ukrainian president added.
Orbán suffered a clear defeat in the Hungarian election on Sunday, bringing his 16 years in power to a close.
During his reign, Orbán maintained good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Orbán made Ukraine a central theme in the election campaign, where the Ukrainian government was portrayed as "hostile" to Hungary.
Election winner Peter Magyar has promised new times in Hungarian politics. But his incoming government will not support a fast-track EU membership for Ukraine. He said on Monday that he, like Viktor Orbán, will not be a participant in a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine. Hungary cannot take on more debt, he said, according to Reuters.
In March, Orbán vetoed a 90 billion euro loan from the EU to Ukraine. Last December, he approved it otherwise, on the condition that Hungary was not part of it. At Monday's press conference, Magyar indicated that he would be open to letting the loan go through. Zelenskyy said he would like to meet with Magyar, whom he congratulated on Sunday evening.
- We are ready for a meeting whenever the new prime minister is ready, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
/ritzau/AFP
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