Following the last-minute cancellation of a mediation meeting by the European Commission, the Slovak ruling party Hlas-SD (Voice – Social Democracy) released a statement saying that Slovakia might need to reconsider its support for Ukraine’s EU accession if Kyiv doesn’t resume Russian gas deliveries or compensate the country for the hundreds of millions of euros worth of damage it’s causing.
The statement highlighted Slovakia’s substantial financial, military, and humanitarian aid sent to Ukraine in the past years, adding that if President Zelensky wants to be seen as a partner, “he must act accordingly.”
The statement is the latest escalation in the weeks-long diplomatic dispute between Ukraine and several Central European countries that suffered significant financial loss due to Kyiv’s unilateral decision not to renew its gas transit agreement with Russian oil and gas company Gazprom in order to hurt Moscow.
Previously, Slovak PM Robert Fico threatened with “reciprocal measures” such as cutting Slovakia’s emergency electricity exports to Ukraine—but without tangible results, partly because Poland immediately stepped in and offered to make up the difference.
President Zelensky continues to show little empathy toward Slovakia and the rest of the impacted countries. Instead, he accused Fico of being a Russian proxy for daring to speak up. In response to the PM’s demands, Zelensky noted that it appeared “Putin has ordered Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine.”
Slovakia is demanding Ukraine resume gas deliveries or compensate the country for the €500 million it’s expected to lose annually in transit fees alone. The cost of switching to alternative supply routes and more expensive gas, which would cost the country hundreds of millions more, is not even part of the discussion.
While cutting Russian gas is expected to cost Europe up to sixty times more than it costs Russia, Brussels appears to be siding with Ukraine over the member states and voters it’s supposed to represent.
In a letter sent to the European Commission and the European Council presidents, PM Fico cited an economic impact study that shows that Kyiv’s decision will cost the EU an additional €100-120 billion in higher energy prices annually, while Russia is expected to lose no more than €2 billion in revenues.
The EU Commission’s assessment of the situation willfully ignores all economic damages, such as higher gas and electricity costs across the EU, as Brussels insists that Europe is “prepared” for the loss of Russian gas due to available alternatives—such as American LNG, which costs up to six times as much as Russian pipeline gas.
In his letter, Fico accused the Commission of acting recklessly by greenlighting Kyiv’s decision and sacrificing member states for an ideological war on Russia. “Accepting the unilateral decision of the Ukrainian president is totally irrational and wrong,” Fico said, warning of “a major financial impact in a complicated economic period.”
Hungary—another EU country dependent on Russian gas but not directly affected by the cut-off since it receives most of its supply through the southern Turk Stream pipeline—was the only member state that directly came to Slovakia’s aid in the dispute.
On Tuesday, January 7th, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó joined Slovak officials in their criticism of Kyiv’s decision, stating that Ukraine is once again jeopardizes Europe’s energy security and exacerbates its economic crisis as gas prices will increase by up to 20% across the bloc as a result.
Decisions like these are incompatible with Ukraine’s EU aspirations, the minister noted. “Although Ukraine is trying to join the EU as a candidate for membership, with its latest decision, it has once again put the European economy in a difficult situation,” he said.
