Ukraine has completed repairs on the Druzhba pipeline — the major Soviet-era oil artery that carries Russian crude westward into Central Europe — and says it is ready to resume oil deliveries as soon as Hungary or Slovakia submit a formal request. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the completion of repair work on 21 April, describing it as Ukraine's fulfilment of a condition set by European Union partners for unlocking a long-delayed €90 billion ($106 billion) two-year support loan approved in December but subsequently frozen.

The pipeline had been knocked out of service by a Russian strike in late January, triggering a standoff between Kyiv and two of its most Kremlin-sympathetic EU partners. Hungary and Slovakia, which remain among the few EU members still importing Russian oil, had accused Ukraine of stalling the repairs and used the disruption as leverage. Hungary's then-prime minister Viktor Orbán had tied his country's approval of the EU loan — which requires unanimous consent from all 27 member states — to the restoration of oil flows. Following Orbán's defeat in elections earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an agreement on the loan was expected "within 24 hours," expressing hope that "all obstacles are removed." EU Council President António Costa welcomed Zelensky's announcement, thanking him for "delivering, as agreed."

Zelensky, however, made plain that the pipeline repair was not a concession but an exchange. "The EU asked Ukraine to repair the Druzhba pipeline, destroyed by the Russians. We have repaired it. We hope the EU will do its part," he said in his nightly address. Kyiv urgently needs the funds to cover significant budget shortfalls, particularly as US financial support has become less predictable.

Beyond the pipeline, Zelensky raised two further security concerns. He called on European partners to intensify sanctions against Russia, warning that no new restrictive measures had been agreed for some time and that Washington was simultaneously easing its own restrictions. He also flagged growing unease about Belarus, Ukraine's northern neighbour from which Russian forces launched their 2022 invasion. Kyiv is monitoring the construction of drone-control bases on Belarusian territory and President Alexander Lukashenko's announcement of a potential 500,000-troop mobilisation. However, geopolitical analyst Ulrich Bounat expressed scepticism that Belarus would directly enter the conflict, suggesting the troop movements serve primarily to force Ukraine to divert forces away from the eastern front — and that Lukashenko's reported interest in re-engaging with Washington makes a military adventure unlikely.

The pipeline repair removes what had been the most visible political obstacle to releasing the EU loan, but the broader questions Zelensky has raised — new sanctions, energy diversification, and the security situation on Ukraine's northern border — signal that Kyiv views the coming weeks as a critical moment for keeping European support both financial and strategic.