Slovakia's tense standoff: Fico threatens Ukraine cutoff
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico described Ukraine's halt of the transit of gas supplied from Russia to the EU as "Zelensky's sabotage." In a video released on Thursday, he again threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine and discussed the possibility of reducing support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
Fico claims that stopping the transit does not threaten gas supplies to Slovak households, but it does result in a loss of revenue from transmitting gas through Slovakia to Western Europe. He estimated this loss at approximately 500 million euros annually.
The Prime Minister announced that Slovak representatives will discuss the transit halt in Brussels next Tuesday. According to some sources, representatives from Ukraine, Slovakia, and the European Commission will attend the meeting. Following these talks, Fico intends to convene a meeting of the ruling coalition, and later his cabinet, to discuss the potential cutting off of electricity supplies and significant reduction of support for Ukrainian citizens residing in the Slovak Republic.
It is estimated that about 140,000 Ukrainian refugees are in Slovakia, having left their country due to the Russian invasion. Approximately 64,000 of them are workers and students. Ukrainians in Slovakia benefit from various aid programs, which the authorities are scaling back in 2024 by adjusting the amounts or duration of support.
The latest adjustment from fall reduced the funding for living costs from 120 to 60 days. Non-governmental organizations estimated that the cut directly affected 15,000 people.
Gas from Russia has stopped flowing
On Wednesday, the Russian company Gazprom announced the stoppage of gas exports to Europe through Ukraine starting at 8:00 AM Moscow time, when the transit agreement expired. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, justifying the decision not to extend the agreement, stated that he does not want Russia to continue profiting off the blood of Ukrainian citizens.
Last Friday, Fico threatened Ukraine with a halt of electricity supplies if Kyiv stops the transit of Russian gas to his country. - If it's necessary, we will stop electricity supplies, which Ukraine urgently needs during network interruptions, Fico declared in a video released online.
In the same statement, the Prime Minister suggested that Slovakia is a suitable location for hosting any peace negotiations regarding the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. - If anyone reaches out to us to organize any peace negotiations on Slovakia's soil regarding the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, they can count on our hospitality – said Fico. He added that he also discussed this topic with Vladimir Putin and is pleased with the positive reaction.
In his New Year's address, Fico also criticized the actions and declarations of the Ukrainian President, who, he stated, rejected proposed ceasefires. According to him, Volodymyr Zelensky is leading all of Ukraine into disaster. - Ukraine's negotiating position worsens every day, and Ukraine will pay a huge price for this Western adventure in the form of territorial loss and foreign military presence – summed up the Slovak Prime Minister.
He also announced that in January, he will make an official visit to Turkey, and in February, he will meet with the Pope in the Vatican to make efforts to resolve the war conflict in Ukraine.
The Sunday before Christmas, Robert Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The topics of the meeting included gas supplies. Fico is the only EU leader, along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains contact with Putin despite Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
