MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2023) Hungary and Serbia have not approached Russia with offers to build an extra leg to the Druzhba pipeline to safeguard their oil supply from potential restrictions, Yuri Pilipson, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Fourth European Department, told Sputnik.
"We view such plans by Belgrade and Budapest as an example of the desire of individual European states to pursue a sovereign policy that respects the needs of national economies and the interests of citizens. It is clear that given the EU-imposed abandonment of Russian energy products and the resulting increase in turbulence on the energy markets, the countries are forced to solve the problems on their own. We are not aware of any appeals to us on this issue," Pilipson said.
In November 2022, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced his country's plan to build an 80-mile leg to the Druzhba oil pipeline that would run through Hungary. The project's estimated cost is 100 million Euros ($107 million). In the meantime, Serbia has reserved over 380 million cubic meters of gas in Hungarian storage facilities.
Earlier in May, media reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to suspend the Druzhba pipeline, which transits Russian oil to the European Union, as part of the 11th package of sanctions against Moscow. Hungary has demanded explanations from both officials.
