Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky calls EU pressure to restart a key Russian oil pipeline ‘blackmail’, linking it to vital weapons aid for Ukraine.
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused European allies of “blackmail” for pressuring Ukraine to swiftly reopen a key Russian oil pipeline.
Zelensky made the remarks in response to threats from Hungary and Slovakia to block European Union aid to Ukraine over the pipeline’s closure.
The Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine, was damaged in a Russian strike in January according to Kyiv. Ukraine estimates repairs could take up to six weeks, a timeline that has angered Hungary and Slovakia as they depend heavily on the pipeline for energy.
“I am saying openly: I am against it,” Zelensky told reporters regarding the pressure to reopen the route. He stated he told European friends that linking the pipeline to weapons supplies is called blackmail.
The European Commission has proposed sending a mission to inspect the damaged pipeline. Zelensky suggested he would be powerless to refuse the pressure if Ukraine’s receipt of weapons was made conditional on reopening the oil route.