Slovakia may take retaliatory measures against Ukraine after the war-torn country halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory, Prime Minister Robert Fico warned in a video message posted on Facebook. The halt was made after a key deal with Moscow expired.
The move has sparked tensions between Kyiv and Bratislava, with Fico warning that it could have a “drastic” impact on the European Union but not on Russia. Slovakia exported 2.4 million megawatt hours of electricity to Ukraine in the first 11 months of 2024, helping the country meet shortages caused by Russian bombing of its energy infrastructure.
Fico described the ending of Russian gas flows as “sabotage” and said his ruling coalition would consider halting supplies of electricity and significantly lowering support for Ukrainian refugees. He argued that a sovereign Slovakia needs to either renew transit or demand compensation mechanisms to replace the loss in public finances estimated at nearly 500 million euros.
The halt has resulted in Ukraine facing a $800 million annual loss in transit fees from Russia, while Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom will lose close to $5 billion in gas sales. Fico’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine are divergent from those of the majority of European leaders, and he has previously argued that the end of the deal would lead to higher gas and electricity prices in Europe.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/03/europe/slovakia-threatens-ukraine-russian-gas-intl/index.html