On April 23, according to TASS, MOL Group said that Hungary has begun re-receiving crude oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline.
According to the announcement, oil has been pumped back at the Fenyeslitke (Hungary) and Budkovce (Slovakia) transit stations on the same morning. Thus, oil transportation through the Druzhba route to Hungary and Slovakia has been officially restored after nearly 3 months of interruption.
Previously, the oil flow through this pipeline was temporarily suspended due to the influence from Ukraine. The disruption forced the two Central European countries to find alternative sources of supply in a short time, increasing import costs and putting pressure on the operation of oil refineries in the region.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the most important oil transport routes from Russia to Europe, especially for countries without sea routes such as Hungary and Slovakia. Therefore, any disruption on this route could directly affect energy security and fuel costs in Central Europe.
This supply restoration is considered a factor to help stabilize the energy market in Hungary and Slovakia, while reducing pressure in the context that world oil prices are still fluctuating due to geopolitical factors.
However, there is currently no detailed information about the accompanying conditions for resuming transportation, as well as the possibility that this route can be maintained stably for a long time. Some experts believe that the situation still depends heavily on the developments of relations between stakeholders in the region.
In the context of Europe promoting the process of diversifying energy supply sources to reduce dependence on some traditional suppliers, the restoration of oil flow through Druzhba shows that many countries in the region are still significantly dependent on energy sources from Russia, especially in the short term.
