Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to cut off back up power supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv stops transporting Russian gas to Central Europe.
“After January 1, we will assess the situation and potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine,” Fico said in a video posted on Facebook on Friday evening. “If necessary, we will stop supplying electricity that Ukraine urgently needs during network outages.”
Russian gas that flows through Ukraine to Europe will halt at the end of the year when the current deal expires if an alternative can’t be found. Slovakia is one of the biggest remaining buyers and has been cranking up the pressure on Ukraine to find a solution. Fico threatened to retaliate if Volodymyr Zelenskiy doesn’t give him what he wants and the comments on Friday are his strongest warning yet.
Russia stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since March, destroying half of power generating capacities and causing blackouts across the country. Ukraine heavily relies on imports, including from Slovakia.
Slovakia still receives Russian oil that transits Ukraine through the Druzhba pipeline. Halting supplies could be a possible counter-move for Kyiv if Slovakia stops electricity exports, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing politically sensitive matters.
The escalating remarks from both sides raise the political stakes as the clock ticks down to the gas agreement expiring on Jan. 1.
Fico justified the threat by pointing to the significant impact that stopping flows of Russian gas would have on Europe’s economy. The European Union will face an additional 120 billion euros in energy costs over the next two years as a result of a halt, according to the Slovak leader.
“Stopping the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine is not just a hollow political gesture. It’s an extremely costly move, one that we, in the European Union, will pay for,” Fico said.
Both Russia and Ukraine have made it clear that they can’t easily find common ground on the terms of a deal as tensions deepen. The Slovak Prime Minister wants to maintain gas transit beyond 2024 and says he has suggested alternative solutions that would not require contact between the two warring nations.
With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska.
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