Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for over 130,000 Ukrainian refugees due to a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies. The move comes after Kyiv shut off a pipeline used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas on January 1.
Fico described the shutdown as “sabotage” and said Slovakia would propose halting electricity exports to Ukraine and significantly reducing financial support for refugees in Slovakia. However, he assured that Slovakia has already made alternative arrangements to avoid gas shortages.
The decision is a response to Ukraine’s plan to reduce its reliance on Russian gas supplies, which will deprive Slovakia of 500m euros in transit fees from other countries. Fico stated that his party is open to debating halting electricity exports and significantly lowering support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin to “fund the war and weaken Ukraine”. Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports, while the European Commission said the EU had prepared for the change.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr3j5y0lddo