Slovakia’s Prime Minister said it was unacceptable for Ukraine to interrupt oil transit while continuing to rely on his nation for energy support.
Robert Fico stated that his country may halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine if Kiev does not restore Russian oil supplies to Slovakia. According to the PM, the current situation provides unilateral advantages to Ukraine—while at the same time his country’s energy interests are being harmed.
In a social media post, Fico wrote that Slovakia will not accept its relationship with Ukraine becoming a “one-way street.” Oil supplies have been suspended for nearly a month, after Ukraine reported that infrastructure had been damaged by a Russian drone attack.
The Slovak leader emphasised that his country is heavily dependent on Russian energy sources and is unwilling to accept a situation that jeopardises supply security. Along with Hungary, Slovakia plays a key role in Ukraine’s electricity supply, especially since Russian attacks severely damaged the Ukrainian power grid.
The threat could further increase tensions in the region, particularly regarding energy supplies and European Union support for Ukraine. Fico has indicated that Slovakia’s future energy and political moves will depend on whether Ukraine restores oil transit. In a similar vein, on Friday, February 20th Hungary announced that for now it would block a $90 billion (€76 billion) loan to Ukraine for the time being.
Now the European Commission—led by Ursula von der Leyen—has scheduled an extraordinary meeting for next week to address the worsening energy crisis.
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