Ukraine has informed neighbouring Slovakia that oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline are not expected to resume in the coming days, further extending a monthslong suspension that has fuelled political friction across Central Europe.

The Slovak Economy Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Kyiv provided no concrete date for a restart, with the next status update scheduled for Friday. 

The pipeline, a critical artery carrying Russian crude through Ukraine to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, has been offline since late January following what Ukrainian officials described as a Russian attack on pumping facilities.

While Kyiv maintains that the delay is purely technical, the outage has sparked a diplomatic firestorm. 

Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of weaponizing the infrastructure for political leverage, adding that Ukraine is exaggerating the impact of Russia’s attack on the vital oil transportation route. 

In response, Budapest has moved to block new European Union sanctions on Russia and a 90-billion-euro loan intended for Kyiv.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal told Interfax Ukraine that the damage is extensive but largely internal. 

"Most of the internal equipment, various sensors, and other systems were damaged by extreme temperature conditions," Shmyhal said, noting that the fire’s impact is not visible from the exterior.

However, Zsolt Hernadi, executive chairman of Hungary’s energy giant MOL, disputed the severity of the infrastructure damage. 

Hernadi told a commercial television station that MOL recently imported 35,000 tons of Ukrainian crude via the Druzhba at Kyiv's request to clear storage during the initial fire. 

He suggested the pipeline itself may be functional, while Ukraine insists repairs depend on "security circumstances" amid ongoing Russian strikes.

The suspension comes as transit through the route hit a 10-year low of 9.7 million tons in 2025, with Ukraine facing pressure to allow the EU to inspect the damaged pipeline. 

As the standoff continues, Hungary has indicated it will increasingly test the capacity of the Adriatic pipeline, a Croatian alternative, to secure seaborne shipments.

Following the stan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to discuss the crisis with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week as the EU seeks to mediate the energy security dispute between its member states and Kyiv.