Overview
- Brussels said Ukraine accepted EU technical support and funding to fix the Russian‑damaged Druzhba pipeline, with experts available immediately.
- An EU expert team is set to visit the damage site on 18 March to assess needs for restoring flows to Hungary and Slovakia, according to EU sources.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told EU leaders repairs are underway and the Brody pumping station could be restored within roughly one to one and a half months if there are no further Russian attacks.
- Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reaffirmed Hungary’s stance of “no oil, no money,” as Budapest and Bratislava keep blocking the €90 billion loan and the 20th sanctions package.
- An initial EU statement that tied pipeline repairs to resuming talks on the loan and sanctions was edited to remove that link, while EU institutions work on alternative non‑Russian oil routes and seek a breakthrough before the European Council meeting.