PM Fico claims agreement with Putin on gas supplies for Slovakia
Photo: Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico stated that he had secured the gas supply to Slovakia during his trip to Vladimir Putin in Moscow at the end of December before Ukraine stopped the gas transit, Reuters reports.
"I needed to secure at a minimum gas for Slovakia's domestic consumption - which we have secure," Robert Fico said.
The Prime Minister of Slovakia did not provide further details about the gas supply.
Robert Fico accused Kyiv of harming Slovakia by not extending the Russian gas transit agreement, which expired at the end of 2024, and also threatened to stop supplying electricity to Ukraine and reduce aid to refugees.
According to the Slovak gas transmission operator Eustream, after the cessation of deliveries from Ukraine, Slovakia continued to receive gas via Hungary, where Russian gas arrives via Turk Stream.
The Prime Minister of Slovakia claimed that the cessation of supplies from Ukraine supposedly cost the country 500 million euros in transit fees and 1 billion euros due to higher gas prices.
Robert Fico again accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of "sabotaging the financial interests of Slovakia and the EU" by refusing to extend the Russian gas transit.
Fico is scheduled to meet with European Commission representatives in Brussels on January 9 to discuss the cessation of gas transit through Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Fico of opening a "second energy front" against Ukraine under Russian orders.
Earlier, the Slovak Ministry of Economy stated that the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory would not cause a gas shortage in the country.
The cessation of Russian gas transit from the east will 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.
