On Wednesday, after 12:00 p.m., Ukraine resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, according to a source close to the Ukrainian government who spoke to the online portal “Energoreforma.”
“At 12:35 p.m., oil transit was launched. Pumping has begun,” said the source speaking to “Energoreforma.”
He has not yet specified the volume of the transit.
As reported with reference to Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková, the resumption of supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to that country is expected on Thursday morning.
Hungary and Slovakia have not received Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline since January 27 of this year due to damage to the pipeline caused by Russian shelling. Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that he would not lift his veto on the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine until oil supplies are restored.
Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, which won the elections in Hungary, called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure the Druzhba pipeline is restored as soon as possible.
The day before, the Kremlin stated that Russia is technically ready to resume transit through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary.
Hungarian MOL announced on Wednesday, April 22, that the state-owned JSC “Ukrtransnafta,” responsible for operating the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline, had officially notified it of the completion of repair work on the Druzhba pipeline, as well as the termination of the force majeure circumstances that had been in effect since January 27, 2026.
According to Fixygen, Iran is seeking to include a payment mechanism for ships passing through this key energy route in future agreements regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The Financial Times reported that Tehran wants to charge fees to loaded oil tankers, and, according to the publication, the Iranian Union of Oil Exporters insists on payments in cryptocurrency.
However, an independent review shows that the parameters of such a mechanism remain unclear. Reuters, citing a senior Iranian official, reports that Iran does indeed intend to charge a fee for passage through the strait as part of a potential peace agreement; however, according to this information, the fee amount is expected to vary depending on the type of vessel, the nature of the cargo, and other conditions.
Reports of preparations for a protocol with Oman, which may provide for permits and licenses for passage through the strait, serve as an additional indication that Tehran is already attempting to institutionalize control over the passage.
About one-fifth of global oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, oil prices fell sharply, but market participants continue to factor in the risk that even if shipping resumes, Iran will attempt to maintain economic and political control over the route through new fees and restrictions.
Hungary has decided to block the allocation of a EUR90 billion EU loan to Ukraine until oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is resumed, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.
On Friday evening, he again accused Ukraine on social media of allegedly blackmailing Hungary by stopping oil transit in coordination with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition in order to create supply disruptions in Hungary and raise fuel prices ahead of the elections.
According to Szijjártó, Ukraine is violating the Association Agreement with the EU.
As reported with reference to Ukrtransnafta, as a result of a targeted Russian attack on January 27, significant damage was caused to the technological and auxiliary equipment of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
“Currently, work is underway at various stages to detect defects, stabilize the technical condition of the system, and eliminate the consequences of the hostile attack. Emergency repair work is being carried out with the involvement of specialized technical units and specialized equipment,” the company said in an official comment to Interfax-Ukraine on February 19.
Hungary and Slovakia stopped supplying diesel fuel to Ukraine on February 18 until the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline is restored.
The European Commission, in turn, convened a meeting of the oil coordination group on February 25 in connection with the suspension of supplies to Hungary and Slovakia due to Russia’s damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On October 24, the National Energy Regulatory Agency of Moldova (ANRE) held an open meeting of the Board of Directors, during which it approved a 50% reduction in tariffs for gas transportation to Ukraine.
“During the meeting, the Board approved amendments to Decision No. 272/2025 on the optimization of the ”Route 1″ capacity product on the Trans-Balkan pipeline, following a joint initiative submitted by natural gas transmission system operators from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The initiative aims to strengthen regional energy security and ensure natural gas supplies to Ukraine,“ according to a statement on the ANRE’s official website.
”The approved changes provide for the extension of the Route 1 product for 6 months (November 2025 – April 2026), a 50% reduction in transportation tariffs for SRL “Vestmoldtransgaz” at the Kaushen and Grebeniki interconnection points, as well as the extension of the capacity product to all relevant interconnection points along the route. A 50% reduction in transportation tariffs is also provided for by the Romanian transmission system operator SA “Transgaz,” ANRE explained.
“With this decision, the Republic of Moldova is strengthening its role as a regional transit corridor, facilitating the transportation of natural gas from Greece to Ukraine and contributing to the diversification of routes and sources of supply. In the long term, transportation volumes are expected to increase, and as a result, the associated tariffs will decrease for users of the transport system operated by SRL Vestmoldtransgaz,” the statement emphasized.
According to Serbian Economist, Montenegro will become a party to the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure and the Convention on the Simplification of Formalities in Trade in Goods from November 1, 2025, reports the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
The decision was made by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD). Once the convention enters into force, Montenegrin customs authorities will be able to perform the functions of customs offices of departure and destination for international shipments under the NCTS procedure.
The State Customs Service of Ukraine emphasized that the expansion of the network of countries participating in the Convention contributes to the development of uniform digital standards and reduces customs clearance time at borders.
The Common Transit Convention and the Convention on the Simplification of Formalities in Trade in Goods are international agreements aimed at simplifying the movement of goods between countries through uniform customs procedures and the NCTS (New Computerized Transit System) electronic system.
Convention participants can file a transit declaration once for the entire route chain, which reduces administrative costs and speeds up the delivery of goods. For countries seeking integration with the EU, participation in the NCTS system opens up access to a single digital customs space and increases attractiveness for businesses, especially logistics and export-import companies.
Serbia officially acceded to the Convention on February 1, 2016. On that day, the country began practical application of the NCTS system.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1614
Ukraine continues to strengthen its position in the European transit space. Thus, in the second quarter of 2025, the State Customs Service of Ukraine issued almost 34 thousand transit declarations under the common transit procedure (NCTS). This is 8 thousand more than in the previous quarter and 9 thousand more than in the second quarter of 2024.
This is the highest quarterly increase since Ukraine joined the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure.
More than 23 thousand movements initiated by Ukrainian customs have been successfully completed in the countries party to the Convention. In turn, 10.7 thousand transit movements initiated in other countries were completed in Ukraine, which is almost 50% more than in the previous quarter.
In total, since the start of the international application of the joint transit procedure on October 1, 2022, the State Customs Service has issued almost 196 thousand declarations, of which 149 thousand were issued as a customs office of departure and 47 thousand as a customs office of destination.
In addition, domestic companies are actively using Ukrainian general guarantees in T1 declarations to move transit goods in other countries party to the Convention. For example, in the second quarter of 2025, general guarantees were used in almost 106 thousand T1 declarations transported through the customs territory of the European Union (since January 1, 2025 – more than 183 thousand such declarations).
Regarding guarantees under the common transit procedure, in the second quarter of 2025, the State Customs Service registered 28 general guarantees in the NCTS guarantee management system. As of the beginning of July 2025, 94 general guarantees totaling more than EUR 320 million and 4,947 individual guarantees totaling EUR 218.45 million were in force.
Such dynamics confirms the growth of business confidence in the common transit procedure and demonstrates an increase in the number of foreign economic operators seeking to work in accordance with EU standards.
