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Ukraine bars EU experts from Druzhba

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EU experts in Kyiv remained unable to inspect the damaged pipeline section as of 27 March, despite a repair commitment Zelenskyy gave in exchange for the €90 billion loan.

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Key takeaway

Ukraine has little incentive to repair the pipeline while Hungary continues blocking the loan it was meant to unlock.

Ukraine had not granted EU experts access to the damaged Druzhba pipeline section as of 27 March, despite the 25 April deadline for the EU's phased Russian gas ban and the repair commitment Zelenskyy gave in exchange for the €90 billion loan ¹.

Naftogaz presented a repair plan to the EU on 19 March , but presentation and access are different things. Whether the delay is logistical (the damaged section may be near active front lines), security-related, or a deliberate negotiating tactic remains unclear. Each explanation carries different implications for the EU's timeline.

The repair commitment was the price Hungary extracted for unblocking the €90 billion loan. Hungary then re-blocked the loan at the EU summit on 19 March. From Kyiv's perspective, fast pipeline repair now rewards Budapest's bad faith without securing the financing it was meant to unlock. Withholding access costs Ukraine nothing in the short term and maintains pressure on the EU to resolve Budapest's obstruction first.

The 25 April gas ban deadline does not wait for pipeline diplomacy. If the pipeline remains unrepaired when LNG restrictions take effect, Central European refineries dependent on Russian crude face supply disruptions regardless of who is responsible for the delay.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Ukraine promised the EU it would repair a damaged oil pipeline as part of a deal to unlock a €90 billion loan. The EU sent engineers to Kyiv to inspect the damage. As of 27 March, Ukraine has not yet let them see the affected section. Why might Ukraine delay? Hungary — the country most affected by the pipeline damage — then turned around and blocked the loan anyway. Ukraine may be withholding pipeline access as a bargaining chip: why fix it for free if the loan it was meant to unlock is still frozen? The EU faces a deadline: a gas import ban takes effect on 25 April regardless of whether the pipeline dispute is resolved.

Sources:Ukrainska Pravda

Mentions:European Union →Druzhba pipeline →Ukraine →Kyiv →Hungary →Russia →Volodymyr Zelenskyy →Naftogaz →

First Reported In

Update #8 · Pentagon diverts funds; 948 drones fired

Ukrainska Pravda· 27 Mar 2026

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Causes and effects

Caused by

Ukraine offers Druzhba fix; EU to pay

Naftogaz presented a Druzhba repair plan to the EU on 19 March, but Ukraine had still not granted inspectors access to the damaged section as of 27 March.

Occurred 18 Mar 2026

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This Event

Ukraine bars EU experts from Druzhba

The inspection delay may itself be leverage: while Hungary blocks the loan, granting quick access to the pipeline would reward Budapest's obstruction without resolving the underlying financial dispute.

Different Perspectives

Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General

Grossi's Update 349 of 7 May recorded a drone strike on ZNPP's radiation monitoring laboratory on 3 May. Rosatom's 17 May public attack on the Secretariat's neutrality degrades the diplomatic ground Grossi needs for the sixth repair ceasefire at day 60 on the single backup line.

Indian Government / Embassy Moscow

The Indian Embassy in Moscow confirmed on 18 May that an Indian national was killed and three hospitalised at a refinery construction site in the 17 May barrage. India is among the largest buyers of discounted Russian crude; the fatality forces a diplomatic protest without changing the purchasing posture.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President

Erdogan met Zelenskyy in Ankara for nearly three hours on 15 May before the Istanbul session, recovering Turkey's 2022 mediator role and reducing Trump's leverage by hosting bilateral talks without Washington in the room. Turkey hosts the NATO Ankara summit on 7-8 July; the Istanbul format gives Erdogan standing at both tables simultaneously.

Viktor Orban / Hungarian Government

Budapest's new cabinet, formed 12 May, holds the institutional veto point on the EU tranche disbursement ahead of the first-half June window. Hungary has previously leveraged EU loan tranches to extract bilateral concessions; the combination of a fresh cabinet and a tight disbursement timeline makes Budapest the single highest-leverage actor in the EU track this fortnight.

European Council / Commission

The Commission is preparing a three-document disbursement package for the 9.1-billion euro first tranche of the EU loan to Ukraine, targeting first-half June, but delivery depends on the Magyar cabinet, which formed on 12 May, not blocking the mechanism. The 20th sanctions package remains in force against Russia.

Donald Trump / US Treasury

Treasury issued GL 134C with a 48-hour gap after GL 134B expired, confirming the waiver series functions as permanent monthly management rather than a wind-down instrument. Washington was absent from the Istanbul room; Treasury Secretary Bessent framed the Cuba carve-out as protecting 'most vulnerable nations', maintaining the fiction that the 30-day bridge has a humanitarian rationale.