Slovakia has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claim that made concerning the fact that Prime Minister Robert Fico had opened a “second energy front” against Kyiv at the behest of Russia. The accusation emanated following a deepening gas transit dispute between both nations.
Slovakia Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar reacted to the statements of Zelenskyy on Sunday, saying they were “invented” and insisting that Slovakia would not change its policy regarding Ukraine. Blanar admitted that Ukraine is still facing difficulties due to the war but called on it not to provoke new conflicts with the EU member states, such as Slovakia. “We understand their difficult situation, but they should not create new enemies,” Blanar wrote in a Facebook post. He further told that Slovakia and other EU countries are standing strong with the people of Ukraine.
The dispute revolves around Ukraine’s natural gas transit, which currently flows through its territory to Slovakia and other European countries. Ukraine is likely to stop this flow once the existing transit agreement expires at the end of the year.
Prime Minister Fico, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, warned that Slovakia could retaliate if Ukraine stops gas transit. Fico floated the possibility of cutting electricity supplies to Ukraine, an action Zelenskyy said placed Slovakia on the side of Russia. Fico shot back with an open letter Sunday, challenging the European Commission to follow the situation closely. He reiterated his claim that stopping the gas transit through Ukraine would cause significant financial damage to European consumers and businesses, costing tens of billions of euros.
This adds another layer of tension between Slovakia and Ukraine as the energy crisis in Europe becomes increasingly complex amidst the war in Ukraine.
