-- The flow of Russian crude oil through the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline resumed on Wednesday, potentially ending a months-long energy crisis that stalled European diplomacy and multi-billion euro financial aid packages.
Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova confirmed on Facebook that Ukrtransnafta began pressurizing and refilling the pipeline from the Belarus border on Wednesday morning.
"The expected resumption of pumping and supplies to Slovakia is tomorrow, April 23, in the early morning hours," Sakova stated.
Hungarian energy group MOL also confirmed it received notification that Ukraine is ready to resume transit to both nations.
The outage, caused by a Russian drone strike in late January, had led Hungary and Slovakia to block a 90 billion euro ($105.79 billion) EU loan urgently needed by Kyiv for defense and budgetary support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had reportedly linked the completion of the repairs to the unblocking of the aid, urging EU ambassadors in Brussels to finalize the package once the oil reaches its destination.