Fico announced the possible closure of Druzhba by Ukraine after receiving an EU loan

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on April 25 that he would not be surprised by another shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline amid the approval of the European Union (EU) loan to Ukraine.

"It would not surprise me at all that after receiving a €90 billion military loan (from the European Union. — Ed.) the Ukrainian president (Vladimir Zelensky. — Ed.) would decide to stop Druzhba again," Fico said, addressing fellow citizens on the Facebook page (owned by Meta, whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

He also noted that in the event of a shutdown of the pipeline, he would be interested to know the reaction of the EU itself, as well as the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen.

"The Slovak government, through its resolute and sovereign policy, has greatly contributed to the restoration of this oil pipeline, which is so important for the energy security of Central Europe," Fico added.

The Prime Minister noted that Slovakia will closely monitor the development of the situation around the restored pipeline.

Pipe time: when will oil pumping from Russia via Druzhba resume

And why did Kiev's statements about the resumption of transit of Russian raw materials to Hungary and Slovakia coincide with the change of power in Budapest and the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions

On April 23, Fico, commenting on the reopening of the pipeline, stated that the opening of the Druzhba pipeline at night was a confirmation that it had not been damaged. He noted that Druzhba and oil were used as a tool of the current geopolitical struggle. Slovakia's Economy Minister Denisa Sakova had previously announced that the Druzhba oil pipeline would resume operation in the republic on the morning of April 23.

On April 22, Reuters reported that the EU ambassadors approved a loan to Kiev for €90 billion and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. The article states that the EU expects Slovakia and Hungary to withdraw their disagreement with the decision after the restoration of fuel supplies via the Druzhba oil pipeline.