The European Commission announced late on Monday that Tuesday’s meeting between representatives of Kyiv and Bratislava, regarding the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, had been cancelled at the last minute because the Ukrainian delegation could not attend.
Despite Kyiv offering an online meeting instead, the Commission said it preferred in-person talks, showing how little Brussels understands the urgency of the situation.
Tensions between the two countries have reached an all-time high since Ukraine decided not to renew its transit agreement with Gazprom, which expired on January 1st, effectively halting the flow of Russian gas through its territory toward Central Europe. Kyiv wants to reduce Russian energy revenues this way and has the support of the European Commission.
The decision affects several EU countries that have relied on Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine up to now, including Austria, Czechia, and Slovenia, which began transitioning toward much more expensive alternatives instead, such as American LNG last year.
However, Slovakia, which has been the hardest-hit, did not accept the measure so easily and threatened “reciprocal measures,” such as halting its electricity imports to Ukraine unless the transit agreement is renewed or it is compensated for its €500 million lost revenue every year.
In a plea for help sent to the presidents of the EU Commission and EU Council last week, Slovak PM Robert Fico also warned Brussels that Kyiv’s unilateral decision to halt Russian gas flows to Europe will indirectly cost the bloc up to €120 billion annually, a staggering amount when compared to the estimated €2 billion Russia is predicted to lose.
Despite the warning, EU leaders continue to downplay the move’s effects on Europe’s economy and don’t seem to be rushing toward any solution.
“Due to the fact that the Ukrainian side will not attend tomorrow’s meeting, the European Commission has decided to cancel the meeting,” the Slovak government said in a statement on Monday evening, adding that the Commission notified them that it was looking for an alternative date for the Brussels meeting.
An unnamed diplomatic source later confirmed to Euractiv that Ukraine offered to move the meeting online, but the Commission rejected the idea and said it prefers an in-person sit-down.
The last-minute cancellation of the meeting hardly helps the situation. Slovakia rightly feels that its interests are being ignored by Brussels which is siding with Ukraine over the energy security of its own member states.
“Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelensky is committing sabotage on the public finances of Slovakia and damages the financial interests of the entire EU,” Fico wrote on social media. “Slovakia must show that it’s a sovereign country.”
