Bratislava/Budapest, August 22 (TASR) – The Ukrainian military has targeted the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure on Russian soil three times within nine days, resulting in a halt of oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary. Consequently, the foreign ministers of Slovakia and Hungary, Juraj Blanár and Péter Szijjártó, issued a joint open letter on Friday to Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, and Kadri Simson, the European Commissioner for Energy, as reported by TASR.
Juraj Blanár and Péter Szijjártó urged the European Commission (EC) to take immediate action to uphold the commitments to energy supply security for EU member states.
The ministers highlighted to Kaja Kallas and Dan Jorgensen that the EC’s January 27, 2025 statement emphasized that the integrity of the energy infrastructure supplying EU nations is vital for the security of the entire Union, urging all third countries to respect this principle.
“The Commission asserted in this statement that it is prepared to safeguard our critical energy infrastructure, which encompasses oil pipelines; therefore, it is essential for the EU to protect the interests of member states and guarantee the energy security of its citizens, including those from Slovakia. Any jeopardy to our country’s energy security is unacceptable,” Blanár stated.
He also noted that oil supplies were briefly interrupted following the latest attacks on the Druzhba pipeline, with the last disruption occurring on Monday before being swiftly rectified. However, the Ukrainian attack on Thursday caused significant damage to the pipeline, and the full extent of the impact remains unclear, which will critically affect the supply to the Slovak refinery.
“Considering that the EU and its member states have extended support to Ukraine worth hundreds of billions of euros in recent years, we find the actions of Ukraine that pose a serious threat to the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia completely unacceptable. In this regard, we strongly implore the Commission to promptly fulfill the commitments outlined in the aforementioned declaration and ensure the security of energy supplies to its member states,” the ministers from Hungary and Slovakia asserted.
“Considering that the EU and its member states have extended support to Ukraine worth hundreds of billions of euros in recent years, we find the actions of Ukraine that pose a serious threat to the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia completely unacceptable.” Juraj Blanár
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