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| File photo of part of the Druzhba pipeline pictured near Styri, Ukraine in 2009 (Image: Getty Images) |
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has said that European allies want to "blackmail" Kyiv into reopening a pipeline that takes Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. He claimed that lifting economic sanctions on Moscow would be like restoring the flow of Russian crude oil through Ukraine into the European Union (EU). Ukraine asserts that Russian air strikes in January caused damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was constructed during the Soviet era. As a result of its dependence on Russian energy, Hungary opposes both new EU sanctions against Moscow and a crucial €90 billion ($103 billion; £78 billion) loan for Kiev until the pipeline is reopened.
Breaking News: Ukraine and allies fear easing Russian sanctions will prolong war
Prior to the elections in April, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has made hostility toward Ukraine a major issue. In opinion polls, his party is entering the race behind. The EU has asked Zelensky to quickly repair the pipeline and to let inspectors inspect the damage. EU officials are concerned that Zelensky's opposition might help Orban win a second term. Zelensky, however, stated in an interview with reporters in Kyiv, including the BBC, that he was simply opposed in principle to the idea of allowing Russian oil to transit through Ukraine while the EU prohibited its sale in other countries. He said: "We either sell Russian oil or we don't. because I am compelled to restore Druzhba by the EU. "How is this different from removing Russian sanctions? Why are we able to tell the United States that we oppose lifting sanctions in one case while simultaneously requiring Ukraine to resume oil transit through Druzhba at a political cost that effectively pays for anti-European policies and telling the United States that we oppose lifting sanctions in another?" Zelensky's remarks come after the United States eased sanctions that prevented other nations from purchasing Russian oil to alleviate the energy supply shortage caused by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Numerous European leaders have criticized the move. "If we have decided to restore Russian oil supplies, then I want them to know that I am against it. Also, you shouldn't say that I'm blocking anything. "I'm not preventing it," Zelensky declared. "I am declaring openly that I oppose it. But if I am given conditions that Ukraine will not receive weapons, then, excuse me, I am powerless on this issue. I explained to our European friends that this is called blackmail. He added that all 27 nations had approved the EU's decision to lend €90 billion to Ukraine, and it had to be carried out.
Talking about the widening conflict in the Middle East, Zelensky described his country's interceptor drones as "Ukrainian oil" and said he was ready to agree a $50bn joint production deal with the US.
He claimed Washington was "very interested" in a deal and that the United States had "reached out to us several times." Since that war broke out, many countries - especially in the Gulf - have asked Ukraine for help defending against cheap Iranian-designed drones.
Ukraine is a world leader in learning how to use inexpensive interceptor drones effectively against almost daily Russian attacks. "For us, this is like oil," Zelensky told reporters. "Ukraine's current oil is the production of modern drones and relevant expertise." He emphasised that Ukraine would want both money and technology in return for any agreements.
He added that the United States and Ukraine had jointly proposed a drone production deal last year, but nothing had been agreed upon. "At the time, we were prepared, and we are still fully prepared today. We would welcome such a shared use of experience. "We made this proposal for that reason," he stated.
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| Watch: Ukrainian anti-drone 'bullet' that could help defend Gulf (Image: BBC) |
The head of Ukraine stated that the United States had repeatedly contacted Ukraine following the US-Israeli attack on Iran: "There were several requests - either for assistance to a particular country or for support for Americans." Our military communicates on a variety of levels. We received letters, calls, and requests across all military institutions."
Additionally, Zelensky issued a warning regarding the dangers the Middle East conflict posed to Ukraine. "We do not want to lose the Americans; we speak about this openly," the Ukrainian leader said.
"The United States of America is, without a doubt, more focused on the Middle East at the moment... There may be delays in delivering certain weapons or a reduction in the volume of critical defensive supplies for us." Additionally, he stated, "We do not support such a policy" in opposition to the US 30-day waiver of sanctions against Russian oil already in the sea. I believe that lifting sanctions on Russia will only benefit Russia, not the world. "We certainly do not support relaxing the sanctions policy," Zelensky added. Overall, the Middle East war is not helping us right now, even though we have no doubts about the Iranian regime and do not support it, which is an understatement. The US's temporary sanctions waiver was expected to last until 11 April, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Vladimir Putin's economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has said that the lifting of sanctions shows Russia is integral to the stability of the global energy market and that further loosening them was "inevitable".
Source: BBC
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