Druzhba oil flow resumes as Kyiv seeks quick EU loan clearance

Ukraine says it completed repairs on the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by a Russian strike and that transit is ready to restart on April 22, with initial shipments split between Hungary and Slovakia. Zelensky framed the restart as clearing obstacles to Kyiv’s roughly 90 billion euro EU loan, which Hungary had blocked over transit issues; EU officials signaled a positive loan decision could come soon as the pipeline resumes, a move that would ease energy supply reliance for Hungary and Slovakia that depend heavily on Druzhba’s southern leg.