Fico says Putin promised to deliver gas to Slovakia 'somehow'
Photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Vladimir Putin promised Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico that the Russian Gazprom would find alternative ways to supply gas to Slovakia after the completion of transit through Ukraine. Details about the ways of gas deliveries are still unknown, reports Reuters.
Fico met with Putin in Moscow on December 22, before the expiration of the transit contract between Russia and Ukraine.
Now Fico is threatening Kyiv with the suspension of electricity supplies, as Slovakia wanted to continue receiving Russian gas via Ukraine and receive payment from Moscow for further transit to Europe.
"I spoke to Putin about a contract between us and Gazprom, which says that they have to somehow deliver the gas to us. We are able to push something through the southern flow (route through Türkiye), but so far we have storage, Slovak consumption is secured," Fico told the parliamentary committee.
He said that Putin guaranteed Russia would fulfill its obligations, even though the capacity of the TurkStream pipeline and the connecting route, through which Russian gas flows from Türkiye to Europe, is limited.
"President Putin guaranteed that they will honour their commitments," Fico said.
Part of the gas could be supplied through Western Europe, Fico mentioned, referring to Slovakia's pipeline connections to the gas networks of neighboring countries in Central and Western Europe.
Fico claimed that Europe suffered multi-billion-dollar losses in the rise of gas prices caused by the absence of about 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas that passed through Ukraine last year, including about 3 billion cubic meters for Slovakia's consumption.
An agreement to continue supplies through Ukraine was close, Fico said. A scheme was planned involving the change of ownership of Russian gas before it entered Ukraine, as part of an agreement involving Azerbaijan or the Slovak gas importer SPP. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the possibility of continuing any gas supplies through Ukraine at the December EU summit, according to the Slovak PM.
Earlier, the Ministry of Economy of Slovakia said that the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine would not lead to a gas shortage in the country. The stop of Russian gas transit from the east would mainly have financial consequences for Slovakia. Slovak gas companies will pay approximately 177 million euros more in transit fees for gas coming from the west instead of the east, the ministry said.
