Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček has proposed to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico the possibility of delivering oil from Czechia through the Druzhba pipeline. This comes as supplies of Russian oil to Slovakia via the pipeline have been interrupted since January due to attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Although the current setup permits only small quantities of oil to be supplied, Havlíček mentioned the need for technical adjustments to enable larger volumes in the future.

Havlíček noted that these technical preparations could take several months but emphasized that Czechia is ready to supply some crisis amount of oil even in the current state of affairs. Investigations are underway to assess how much oil could be supplied with existing technical facilities. This initiative reflects Czechia's efforts to strengthen energy security in the region, particularly for Slovakia, which has been reliant on imports via the Druzhba pipeline.

Historically, oil flowed from Slovakia to Czechia through the Druzhba pipeline; however, the situation has changed due to investments that enabled Czechia to reduce its dependence on Russian oil. This shift indicates a significant strategy in the energy sector, aiming for greater self-sufficiency and regional cooperation in energy supply, which is critical given the current geopolitical tensions and energy crisis in Europe stemming from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.