Von der Leyen urges Zelensky to repair the Druzhba pipeline in the face of Hungarian veto of the new package of sanctions against Russia

The operation of this infrastructure, key for the supply of Russian crude oil to Central and Eastern Europe, led the Government of Viktor Orban to block this Monday twentieth package of sanctions against Russia and the final approval of the 90 billion loan to kyiv agreed by European leaders in December.

On a visit to the Ukrainian capital for the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, Von der Leyen condemned Moscow’s bombing of the oil pipeline and denounced that it threatens Europe’s energy security.

Visibly upset, Zelensky responded to the question of whether he is willing to repair the pipeline infrastructure by recalling thate Russia has attacked this type of facilities in Ukraine repeatedly.

“It cannot be that Russia destroys, Ukraine or Europe repairs and Russia attacks again,” Zelensky reproached in a joint press conference with Von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, António Costa.

Zelensky also warned that by repairing infrastructure that Russia repeatedly attacks, Ukrainian workers put their lives at risk. “Renew for what? To lose people? It’s a very high price,” declared the Ukrainian president.

Costa conveyed, for his part, that the EU expects to receive information from Ukraine in the coming days on the time it will take to repair the infrastructure of the Druzhba pipeline.

Costa pointed out, however, that There are alternatives to supply Hungary, for example through the Adriatic pipeline, through Croatia, so this is not a “question of energy security”, while urging Budapest to stop violating “the principle of sincere cooperation” within the EU.

EU accession

On the other hand, the Ukrainian president stated this Tuesday that he has begun to work with Von der Leyen and Costa on the “details” of the guarantee of European security that the accession of the invaded country to the European Union will entail and that he demands that it be on a “clear date”, in 2027.

“It is essential that we have started working on the details of a key geopolitical security guarantee for Ukraine and for all of Europe, as well as a clear date for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU),” he said.

Zelensky said he hopes be in 2027 so that “Putin cannot block our accession for decades.”

“It is true that we want a fast track to accession and we are grateful for the great support and for the candidate country status, among other things, from the EU institutions,” he said.

In this regard, Costa pointed out that European support goes beyond immediate help, because “Ukraine’s future lies in the EU“, because “a prosperous and democratic Ukraine, anchored in the EU is a guarantee of security for all of Europe and one of the key elements of the peace process.”

“Ukraine has already made notable progress in European reforms, even in the most difficult circumstances. The accession process is not just a bureaucratic exercise; it is a transformation that brings real benefits to the Ukrainian people,” Costa added.

Yes indeed, He did not want to go into evaluating the date of 2027. that Ukraine demands is achievable as a goal, but he expressed his hope that it will be in “the near future.”

“Technical preparations with the EU institutions are progressing well and we can expect significant progress on the path to accession in the near future,” he said.

Von der Leyen was clearer when stating that this is a goal set by Zelensky and not by the European Commission. (EC), which negotiates the accession chapters with the country.

“I understand very well that a clear date is also important for you. The date you set is your reference, the objective you want to achieve. You know that, on our part, establishing dates in themselves is not possible. But the support for you to reach your goal is absolutely clear on our part,” he emphasized.

The president of the EC explained that Ukraine is on a good path to becoming a member of the EU, but he pointed out again that this is a “merit-based process.”

“But that also means that the speed depends on the candidate country. I must say that Ukraine is extraordinary in the speed with which it carries out the necessary reforms. They are hard reforms, not easy,” he acknowledged.

“It is impressive to see the enormous progress that Ukraine is making despite fighting a war for its survival,” stressed Von der Leyen, who showed her “confidence in this process, because we have seen how much Ukraine has progressed.”