🇪🇺🇷🇺🇺🇦 EU urges Ukraine to allow access to pipeline carrying Russian oil

Ukraine is under pressure to let the EU inspect a damaged pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, as the two pro-Kremlin countries accuse Kyiv of overstating the impact of an attack by Moscow — despite what Ukrainian officials say is evidence of extensive destruction.

Ukraine says it needs time to repair the Druzhba pipeline and has provided evidence of harm from a Russian air strike in January, but Hungary and Slovakia claim that Kyiv intentionally shut it off.

Hungary has delayed the approval of an EU loan for Ukraine until it is reopened, and proposed to send a fact-finding mission to Ukraine, together with Slovakia.

Now some pro-Ukraine EU governments and the European Commission are also asking Kyiv to allow a visit to prove that it is trying to restore oil flows, according to five EU diplomats and officials.

Two of them said that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, president of the European Council, had specifically asked Ukraine’s leadership during their visit to Kyiv on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion for access to the Druzhba pipeline in order to assess the damage independently, but were denied. The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The dispute has become more urgent as energy prices soared after US and Israeli military action against Iran disrupted global oil and gas supplies. And it has intensified as Kyiv continues to refuse access to European inspectors.

One senior EU diplomat said Kyiv had scored an “own goal” by giving Hungary an excuse to block the loan.

“We cannot say if there is damage or not. There are very easy ways to document it and show they are working hard to repair it. They haven’t done it,” they said.

A senior Ukrainian official close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed back against suggestions that Kyiv was dragging its feet, saying technicians from Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz had given European counterparts evidence that Druzhba had been badly damaged.

🔗 https://www.ft.com/content/8f5f18fb-311d-4df0-805c-063b292506b3

🇶🇦❌🛢 Qatari state oil company, QatarEnergy, announced it will halt in addition to the production of liquefied natural gas, the production of downstream products like polymers, methanol and aluminum.

🔗 QatarEnergy

⚡️🇱🇧🇱🇧❌🇮🇱 - The IDF has published footage, and announced the targeting of a Hezbollah MLRS in southern Lebanon via UAV strike.

The IDF has stated that 15 rockets were launched towards the Golan Heights by the launcher, achieving some impacts, though no injuries.

—❗️🇮🇱/🇮🇷 BREAKING: Hezbollah announces it scored a direct hit against a second Israeli 'Merkava' tank near Kfarkila, southern Lebanon, with an ATGM

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇮🇱/🇮🇷 BREAKING: Hezbollah announces they targeted two more Israeli 'Merkava' tanks, that were coming to tow away the tank that had previously been hit

The tanks were forced to retreat, and the wounded were evacuated from the region under the cover of smoke screens.

@Middle_East_Spectator

🇮🇷🇴🇲 The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces denied responsibility for the drone attacks on the Omani port of Salalah, referring to Oman as a "friendly country" in the statement made to the press.

Yesterday, American journalist, Tucker Carlson, claimed that Israeli Mossad agents attacked targets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to draw in more countries in the war against Iran.

🔗 https://t.iss.one/farsna/414817

🇱🇧⚔️🇮🇱 Footage of a Hezbollah drone flying over the port of Haifa, Israel.

@CIG_telegram

⚡️🇮🇱🇺🇸❌🇮🇷 - The IAF-USAF had struck Iran's "Bushehr" International Airport, destroying at least 1 Iranian Airliner "Airbus A319" Aircraft.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🚫🇱🇧🇮🇷 - The U.S. Embassy in Beirut announced it’s closed until further notice.

🔴 @alsaa_plus_EN

🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 The end of the war is near? Trump tells POLITICO that Iran is "running out of missile launchers"

Destroying Iran's ability to launch missiles at Israel and American allies in the Middle East is one of the main goals of the war against Tehran.

The other main goal was the elimination of Iran's Ayatollah and senior IRGC and military commanders which was already carried out.

Although the pace of Iranian attacks towards Israel and the Gulf Countries remains unchanged, Trump's assessment seems out of place but not unusual considering the immense pressure the Gulf Monarchies are putting on him to cease fire and the declining reserve of interceptors and guided missiles.

🔗 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/03/trump-to-politico-iran-is-running-out-of-launchers-00808591

🇺🇸🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 — Footage shared by Manoto News shows a US/Israeli GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) 2,000 pound guided bomb hitting an Islamic Republic's target in the city of Urmia, Northwestern Iran

🇱🇧❌🇮🇱 — Hezbollah announces targeting the Rawa'i base in the occupied Golan Heights in a missile attack.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It has been permitted to fight for those who are being fought against, because they have been wronged. And Allah is indeed Able to support them. Those who have been driven out of their homes unjustly - except for saying, "Our Lord is Allah"‏
Allah is the Most High, the Most Great

In response to the criminal Israeli aggression that targeted dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance at 13:40 on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, launched a missile attack on the Rawa'i base in the occupied Syrian Golan.

And victory comes only from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise
Tuesday 03-03-2026‏
13 Ramadan 1447 AH

🇮🇷❌🇺🇸 — A coordinated attack against American bases in the Persian Gulf. Kuwait, Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi are under attack.

🇮🇷❌🇮🇱 — Islamic Republic of Iran Army announces shooting down six IAF "Hermes" drones over the past 24 hours.

🇺🇸🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 — A sweep through the Shahyad Square (Azadi Square) and surrounding areas in Tehran as the capital city of Iran remains under heavy Joint American-Israeli bombardment.

😶‍🌫️ Smoke from airstrikes covers the streets while the work of Iranian rescue teams can be seen.

🇨🇳🇮🇱 Chinese state TV CCTV reporter shows extensive damage in center of Tel Aviv by Iranian missiles.

He also said they only had 5 min of filming before Israeli security personnel came to tell them to stop filming

🔗 Carl Zha (@CarlZha)

🇮🇷⚔️🇺🇸🇦🇪 The IRGC published satellite images of the damage at a AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar site in the UAE.

The AN/TPY-2 is the main radar used by the THAAD system.

While the structures were penetrated and one was destroyed, the damage to the radar itself is unclear.

@CIG_telegram

🇺🇸📞👑🌹 — US President Trump after being asked, says that Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is indeed under consideration to lead Iran, but he himself prefers someone from inside the Regime:

"I guess he is, some people like him. We haven't thought too much about that.
It seems to me somebody from within would be more appropriate.

He looks like a very nice person... Somebody there and currently popular, we have people like that. People that are more moderate (Reformists)."

@BellumActaNews