Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine on Russia's orders amid an escalating dispute over gas transit between the two countries, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
“Putin seems to have ordered Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the Slovak people“, Zelensky wrote in “Ex“.
“Fico's threats to cut off Ukraine's emergency electricity supply this winter while Russia attacks our power plants and energy grid can only be explained by this“, he added.
Slovakia will consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine, such as suspending electricity supplies to Kiev after January 1, if Ukrainian authorities stop, as expected, the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia, Reuters reported yesterday, citing a statement by Prime Minister Robert Fico.
In In a video message on Facebook, the Slovak Prime Minister reiterated his view that the cessation of gas flows through Ukraine would harm the EU and European competitiveness.
He cited calculations according to which, in such a development, the damage to the European Union for the period 2025-2026 could reach 120 billion euros due not only to gas, but also to the production of electricity from this fuel. Fico placed the blame on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he has been arguing in public over the past week.
Ukraine said that from January 1 it would stop allowing the transit of Russian gas through its territory. Slovakia wants to maintain gas supplies through Ukraine in 2025, but Kiev does not want to renew the transit agreement, which expires at the end of this year, given that it remains at war with Moscow.