Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of opening a “second energy front” on Putin's orders. Ukraine announced that it will suspend the transit of Russian gas through its territory from 2025. This exposes Slovakia to losses in connection with its contract with Gazprom. Prime Minister Fico visited the Kremlin on December 22 and threatened Ukraine with interruption of electricity supplies.
Last week Ukraine announced that it will not renew the contract with Russia on gas transit, which expires on January 1, 2025. Prime Minister of the Ukrainian government Denys Szmyhal he also assured that in the event of an appeal European Union Kyiv may implement the transit of gas other than Russian. Zelensky also said that Ukraine may consider the transit of Russian raw materials, provided that Russia receives money for them only after the end of the war.
Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Moscow
Robert Fico met with Vladimir Putin December 22 in Moscow. He talked with the Russian leader about gas supplies and the international situation. In the evening of the same day, the Prime Minister posted on social media Slovakia announced that Putin confirmed his readiness to continue supplying raw material to Western Europe. Fico also emphasized that his visit to the Kremlin was a reaction to the announcement to suspend the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.
Robert Fico met with Vladimir Putin in MoscowPAP/EPA/ARTYOM GEODAKYAN/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL
Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with the Russian giant Gazpromclaims that gas transit via a different route than from Russia through Ukraine would cost it over EUR 200 million more.
On Monday, December 23, Zelensky announced that Fico rejected the Ukrainian proposal to compensate for losses resulting from Ukraine's suspension of the transit of Russian gas.
Slovakia's threat to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Slovakia threatened Ukraine with suspension of electricity supplies. If Kiev stops the transit of Russian gas, “after January 1, we will consider the situation and the possibility of taking reciprocal measures against Ukraine,” Fico said in a video he published online on Friday afternoon. “If it is unavoidable, we will suspend the supply of electricity that Ukraine urgently needs during network outages,” he added.
“It appears that Putin has ordered Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the Slovak people,” Zelensky replied on Saturday on website X. “Threats to cut off Ukraine's emergency power supply this winter while Russia attacks our power plants and energy grid, can only be explained in this way,” the president added.
As Zelensky recalled, Slovakia's share in Ukrainian electricity imports is approximately 19 percent. According to him, “Fico's short-sighted policy has already deprived Slovaks of compensation for the loss of Russian gas transit.”
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL