The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, states that halting oil transit through the "Druzhba" pipeline would violate Ukraine's commitments under the Energy Charter Treaty and the Association Agreement with the European Union.
"Oil transit across Ukrainian territory is conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Association Agreement with the EU regarding the guarantee of transit freedom, and it also complies with the conditions of the EU's sixth sanctions package," Shmyhal said during the "question hour for the government" in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday, which was streamed live on YouTube by Member of Parliament Oleksiy Honcharenko (European Solidarity faction).
The Prime Minister emphasized that stopping oil transit through the "Druzhba" pipeline would constitute a violation of Ukraine's obligations under the Energy Charter Treaty and the Association Agreement with the EU.
He noted that Ukraine's breach of its international commitments could be used as grounds for holding the country accountable for disrupting the uninterrupted supply of oil, particularly to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, and for proposing corresponding financial conditions following international arbitration.