EU offers to pay Ukraine to fix an oil pipeline that's been a focal point of Ukraine-Hungary feud

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BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union officials said Tuesday they have offered to pay Ukraine to repair a damaged pipeline meant to carry crude oil to Hungary, in a bid to persuade the government in Budapest to lift its veto on a massive aid package to the war-wracked country.

Ukraine and Hungary have been locked in an escalating feud since Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials have blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks.

Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies — claims that Zelenskyy denies. In retaliation, Orbán has vetoed a major 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) EU loan to cover Ukraine’s military and economic needs for two years. Hungary is also blocking a new round of EU sanctions against Russia.

EU officials said in a statement Tuesday that the bloc “has offered Ukraine technical support and funding” to fix the pipeline.

“The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately,” European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Zelenskyy is vehemently opposed to allowing Russian energy to transit through Ukraine. Energy revenue has fueled the four-year war waged by President Vladimir Putin on his country, and Russian forces have relentlessly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the conflict.

But he wrote Tuesday that Ukraine is “undertaking all possible efforts to repair the damage and restore operations.”

Costa and von der Leyen wrote to Zelenskyy Monday, saying that they hope the EU offer of funding and technical help “can pave the way for overcoming the current blockage and ensure for the rapid repair of the pipeline.”

But Orbán said Tuesday that he would continue to block the loan as long as oil shipments to Hungary remain interrupted.

“If there’s no oil, there’s no money,” Orbán said in a video posted to social media. “If President Zelenskyy wants to get his money from Brussels, he needs to open the Druzhba oil pipeline.”

Orbán added that he believed Ukraine was deliberately holding up oil flows in order to tip the scales in favor of his political opponent ahead of Hungarian elections next month, but provided no evidence for his claim.

EU leaders have lashed out at Orbán for agreeing to the loan to Ukraine at a summit in December and then reneging on that deal.

They accuse him of undermining the fundamental EU principle of “sincere cooperation” between the 27 member countries.

Ukraine is desperate for money and Zelenskyy said that it is important for his country to receive at least a first tranche of funding next month.

Orbán, who is trailing in opinion polls ahead of elections next month, has leaned heavily on an election campaign that portrays Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary.

He has alleged that the Ukrainian leader, along with von der Leyen, seeks to drag Hungary into the war, and claimed that his reelection is the only guarantee of Hungary’s peace and security.

The EU mostly weaned itself off Russian oil and natural gas after Putin used the bloc's dependence on it in 2022 as leverage to undermine European support for Ukraine. However, Hungary and Slovakia were given exemptions to keep using Russian oil as they are landlocked and have no easy access to other suppliers.

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Associated Press writer Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary contributed to this report.