Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that his government may reduce support for Ukrainian refugees and stop electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to the halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine.
In a video message shared on Facebook, Fico stated, “We are ready to discuss and agree in the coalition on halting electricity supplies and significantly reducing aid to Ukrainian citizens who are in Slovakia.”
Fico blamed the situation on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling it “sabotage” and estimating that Slovakia could lose 500 million euros a year due to the gas transit halt. He said the issue could be resolved by resuming gas transit or through financial compensation.
The Slovak government plans to discuss the matter with EU representatives in Brussels on January 7, after which the parliament and government will decide on possible actions. Fico reassured Slovak households that there is enough gas for domestic use and that prices will not increase this year.
Russian gas transit to the EU via Ukraine stopped on January 1 after the five-year agreement between Gazprom and Naftogaz expired.
Ukraine refused to extend the deal. This pipeline was the last major route for Russian gas to reach Central Europe after the Nord Stream explosion and the closure of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
Tensions Between Slovakia and Ukraine
Fico had already threatened to cut electricity supplies to Ukraine on December 27, just days before the gas transit halt.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Fico of acting under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence, saying the move was meant to create “a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of Slovakia’s interests.”
Zelensky criticized the timing, as Ukraine is dealing with severe power shortages caused by Russian attacks on its infrastructure.
The Slovak Foreign Ministry dismissed Zelensky’s comments as “nonsense.”
Fico also claimed that Ukraine offered Slovakia 500 million euros from frozen Russian assets in exchange for supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership. Zelensky later clarified that the offer was about compensating Slovakia for financial losses caused by the halted gas transit, not NATO membership.
