Slovakia’s economy ministry said Tuesday that shipments of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline that passes through Ukraine are expected to resume on Thursday.
On Monday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country would halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until its neighbour reopened the Druzhba pipeline that brings Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary.
“The latest date announced for the resumption of shipments was delayed to February 26,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that Ukraine did not explain the delay in resuming shipments, which had been halted since Ukraine said the pipeline was damaged January 27 by Russian strikes.
EU members Slovakia and Hungary, which continue to depend on Russian energy despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, have slammed the cut in oil deliveries.
Fico said the stoppage would be lifted “as soon as the transit of oil to Slovakia is restored”.
“Otherwise, we will take further reciprocal steps,” he said, adding his country would also reconsider “its previously constructive positions on Ukraine’s EU membership”.
Thousands gathered in Bratislava on Tuesday in support of Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, according to Slovak media.
The rally’s organisers also condemned the halt in emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine.
“Shame” and “Enough of Fico”, the crowd shouted as it marched past the Russian embassy.
But Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo said Bratislava’s decision would “not affect the situation in the unified power system of Ukraine”.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also blocking both a 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) EU loan to Ukraine as well as a fresh round of sanctions on Russia until Kyiv re-opens the oil pipeline.
The EU imposed a ban on most oil imports from Russia in 2022, but the Druzhba pipeline was exempted to give landlocked Central European countries time to find alternative oil supplies.
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