Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a press conference with the German Chancellor at the Chancellery in Berlin on April 14, 2026 during German-Ukrainian government consultations.(AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that a pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia that was damaged in attacks by Moscow would reopen by the end of April.
"As for the oil pipeline, as we promised, it will be repaired by the end of April — not completely, but enough for it to function," Zelensky told reporters in Berlin.
The status of the pipeline had been a major source of tension between Zelensky — who wants all EU countries to stop buying Russian energy — and Hungary's outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Orban — who maintained good ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite the invasion of Ukraine — suffered a painful election defeat on Sunday, bringing an end to his 16-year rule.
He made Ukraine a central campaign issue, portraying Kiev as "hostile" to Hungary.
But his successor Magyar, despite promising a new era in Hungarian politics, also opposes sending EU military aid to Ukraine or offering Kiev a fast-track route to join the 27-nation bloc.
Zelensky called for talks with Magyar, whom he congratulated on Sunday evening hours after polls closed.
"We are ready for a meeting. Whenever the new prime minister is ready," Zelensky said in a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Military talks amid drone boom
Zelensky was to hold talks with Merz in Berlin, expected to focus in part on cooperation in drone production.
Defense ministers allied to Kiev and NATO chief Mark Rutte were to meet on Wednesday in Berlin as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Germany has become Ukraine's biggest backer in the war with Russia, now in its fifth year, as the United States has reduced its support.
The Ukrainian army now has strong battlefield experience in military drones, now essential weapons due to their relatively low cost and increasing effectiveness and range.
The Middle East war has provided Kiev with a chance to showcase its expertise, with Zelensky dispatching anti-drone specialists and visiting countries targeted by attacks from Iran, a Russian ally.
Berlin is keen to capitalize on this expertise, as Merz has allocated hundreds of billions of euros to rebuild the German army to deter a hostile Russia.
Zelensky in February visited a drone production site in Munich established by a German and Ukrainian joint venture to produce equipment for Ukraine's military.
Germany's Quantum Systems and Ukraine's Frontline Robotics announced the joint venture, Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), in December.
Quantum Systems on Tuesday said it would announce two new joint ventures with Ukrainian manufacturers during the Berlin talks.
The Zelensky-Merz meeting comes as hopes are rising that the European Union can soon provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan agreed in December.
The loan had been blocked by Hungary's Orban, but his election defeat last weekend to Magyar means European leaders are now hoping to soon release the funds.
German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius on Monday said he hoped the aid would be made available to Ukraine "very quickly".
As the Ukraine war grinds on, Germany has given refuge to hundreds of thousands of refugees.
To kick off Tuesday's talks, Ukraine's Social Minister Denys Uliutin met German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt at a culture and citizens' advice centre called a "Unity Hub".
The hub "will serve as a central point of contact for Ukrainians who have fled to Germany as a result of Russia's war of aggression", the interior ministry said in a statement.
