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Ukraine seeks to put pressure on NATO using Druzhba oil pipeline — diplomat

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the Druzhba pipeline would probably be restarted shortly

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Kiev seeks to pile on the pressure on NATO member countries by refusing to restart crude pumping via the Druzhba pipeline in the direction of Hungary, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told TASS on Wednesday.

"It cannot be ruled out that by doing so, Ukraine just wants to increase pressure on NATO countries," the diplomat said.

It was reported earlier, according to Ukrainian information, that there were currently no plans to restart pumping oil towards Hungary.

On November 15, Ukraine notified Transneft that it had suspended oil pumping through the Druzhba pipeline towards Hungary due to a drop in pressure.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the Druzhba pipeline would probably be restarted shortly.

The Druzhba pipeline provides crude supplies to Belarusian oil refineries and its transit to Europe. The pipeline originates in Russia’s Samara Region, runs through Bryansk and then splits into two - northern and southern - sections. Then it goes through Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary.

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