00:00In the 1960s, the Soviet Union built one of the longest oil pipelines in the world to supply its satellite
00:07states.
00:08It was called Druzhba, which translates to friendship.
00:12And right now, that friendship pipeline is tearing Europe apart.
00:16Let's look at it from the start, shall we?
00:20A month ago, an incident was reported on the pipeline, impacting flows of cheap Russian oil going to Hungary and
00:27Slovakia through Ukraine.
00:28Kiev blamed ongoing Russian strikes for the blaze, saying the constant pounding from the air is delaying repair works.
00:36But Budapest and Bratislava accused Ukraine of lying.
00:40And last Wednesday, they retaliated by halting their own diesel exports to Ukraine until the pipeline is restored.
00:48Two days later, Viktor Orban said it would block a crucial 90 billion euro emergency loan for Ukraine.
00:55And with Russian attacks devastating its internal power generation, Kiev relies heavily on imported electricity to survive the winter.
01:04And almost half of these imports come directly from Hungary, and Slovakia is another important supplier.
01:12Then, on Monday, Ukrainian forces struck a key Russian pumping station feeding that Druzhba pipeline, aiming to bleed Moscow off
01:20petrodollars.
01:20In response, Slovakia and Hungary demanded the EU investigate if Kiev lied about original damage and completely halted an urgency
01:30electricity to Ukraine.
01:32Which finally brings us to today.
01:34The European Commission is holding an emergency meeting with Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia to try to find alternative oil routes.
01:42But with Croatia refusing to transport Russian oil, it seems the EU diplomatic pipeline is completely blocked.
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