The President of the European Council, António Costa, expressed gratitude to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the prompt repair work and restoration of the Druzhba oil pipeline’s functionality. Costa made this statement on April 21 after Zelensky announced the completion of work on the strategic pipeline.
This is reported by Finway
Discussion on financial aid and European support
The President of Ukraine emphasized that during the conversation with Costa, the issue of unblocking a financial aid package from the European Union amounting to 90 billion euros was discussed. According to Zelensky, Ukraine has fulfilled all obligations set before it by the European Union in the context of energy security and supply stability.
“Thank you, President Zelensky, for fulfilling the agreements: the repair of the Druzhba pipeline and the restoration of its operation,” Costa stated.
Security initiatives and cooperation with partners
In addition to energy issues, Costa noted Ukraine’s achievements in the field of security, particularly the signing of new agreements with countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region. Zelensky also reported that the Ukrainian life protection system in the format of the Drone Deal has already begun to be implemented in cooperation with certain European states. The parties agreed to continue discussing these initiatives during a personal meeting in the near future, emphasizing the importance of unity and security in Europe.
It should be noted that the restoration of the Druzhba oil pipeline’s operation was a response to the call from the new election winner in Hungary, Péter Márki-Zay, who requested Ukraine to resume oil transportation as soon as possible after the completion of repair work.