The resumption of diesel fuel imports from Hungary is seen as an important step towards stabilizing the situation in Ukraine’s fuel market, as it will significantly increase the volumes of diesel available in the domestic market.
This is reported by Finway
Government’s Position on Negotiations and Supply Prospects
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized that there are currently no official negotiations at the government level regarding the restoration of diesel supply from Hungary. At the same time, the official does not rule out that such negotiations may be possible between Ukrainian and Hungarian companies. Shmyhal stressed the importance of using the oil pipeline that connects Ukraine and Hungary, especially in the context of fuel shortages in the Ukrainian market.
“At the ministry level, we have not conducted such negotiations. Perhaps such a conversation is taking place at the company level. I believe that the pipeline between Hungary and Ukraine should be utilized – especially now that there is a problem in the fuel market, and this will help us obtain additional volumes of diesel,” he said.
Restoration of Pipeline Operations and Market Situation
Shmyhal added that the government plans to address the issue of restoring pipeline fuel supply together with JSC “Ukrtransnafta” and the Hungarian company Mol. This will be possible after the consequences of the damage to the “Druzhba” pipeline, which occurred as a result of a drone attack in Lviv region on January 27, are eliminated. As a result of this strike, the transit of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia was halted, leading to a temporary suspension of fuel exports from Hungary to Ukraine since February 18.
After the completion of repair work on April 22, the “Druzhba” pipeline was put back into operation, opening up opportunities for the restoration of energy cooperation between Ukraine and Hungary. Thus, further steps in this direction could positively impact the provision of the Ukrainian market with the necessary volumes of diesel fuel.