Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday (26 February) accused Ukraine of threatening Europe’s energy security by halting oil flows through the Druzhba oil pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.
Speaking in Moscow, Zakharova said, “No doubt, these actions threaten the energy security of these countries and of the European continent as a whole.”
She stated that the alleged attacks had “understandably provoked outrage” in Hungary and Slovakia, describing them as “a direct infringement on their sovereignty”.
“In this context, the lack of an appropriate response from European institutions which are supposed to protect the interests of their member states, and the absence of any reaction to the Ukrainian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline are hardly surprising,” she added.
“Nobody is surprised. They are used to it. Everyone knows that no matter what the Kyiv regime does, no one in Brussels will condemn it. And why? Because whose money is the Kyiv regime using to do all this? Brussels’ money,” Zakharova concluded.
Ukraine says the pipeline was damaged by Russian strikes on 27 January, and repairs have not yet been completed because reconstruction work has been made difficult by ongoing Russian attacks.
Kyiv has told the European Commission and EU officials that the damage included destruction of pipeline equipment and infrastructure that cannot be quickly fixed, and Ukraine has proposed alternative routes such as transporting non-Russian crude via the Odesa-Brody pipeline while Druzhba is under repair.
The European Commission has noted that work is ongoing but subject to the security situation and has asked Ukraine to accelerate repairs, though there is no clear timeline for resumption of full service.
Separately, a Ukrainian security official said on 23 February that Kyiv had used drones to strike a key Russian pumping station serving the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungary this week blocked new EU sanctions on Russia and an EU loan package for Ukraine in response to the stoppage.
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U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
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Two people have been rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic floods devastated the country, as rescuers continue searching for survivors.
A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July, local media reported Saturday.
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The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
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