Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico claimed on Wednesday, March 4th that satellite images prove the Druzhba oil pipeline—previously carrying Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia—is fully operational.
Fico argued that, aside from one small storage tank, the main route is intact, directly contradicting Ukrainian claims that it was damaged in a Russian attack. He accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of attempting to blackmail Slovakia and Hungary by halting oil transit.
The Slovak prime minister also asserted that the incriminating satellite imagery could not be shared, as it is confidential.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán echoed this view, citing publicly released satellite images and operational data to assert there are no technical obstacles preventing the pipeline’s immediate restart.
Orbán emphasized that Kyiv’s political obstruction endangers not only companies and industries but also the energy security of Hungarian families. His Political Director, Balázs Orbán, described Ukraine’s actions as “plain blackmail.”
Fico proposed establishing a European Union-led inspection group to verify the pipeline’s condition on-site, a plan backed by the European Commission.
