Ukraine has completed repairs on the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline and expects oil flows to resume as soon as Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that the work is finished, allowing Russian oil to once again flow to European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia.
The restoration of the pipeline is expected to clear the way for the European Union to unblock a critical €90 billion loan for Kyiv. The multibillion euro aid package had previously been blocked over access to the pipeline, though the bloc's foreign policy chief now expects a positive decision.
Beyond the financial aid, the repair of the Druzhba pipeline paves the way for a new round of sanctions against Russia. Both the loan and the sanctions had previously been vetoed by Hungary.