Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement that gas transit through Ukraine would be shut down starting Jan. 1. Zelensky did not consult with anyone about this decision — not even the various European countries that will be affected, writes Hungarian news outlet Mandiner.
“By stopping the gas transit, President Zelensky will cause billions of damage to the EU, including the Slovak Republic and there will be a further reduction of the EU competitiveness,” said Fico in a Facebook post, adding: “It seems that big people in the EU don’t mind. The main thing is that in the name of an unrealistic goal of weakening Russia, Slavs will continue to kill each other.”
The Slovak prime minister also wrote an open letter published on his social media page addressing EU representatives.
“The silent acceptance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s unilateral decision is incorrect, irrational, and leads to tension,” he wrote.
“It is in the interest of the citizens of the European Union that support for Ukraine be rational and not manifest itself in the form of self-destructive gestures that harm the Union,” Fico added.
According to Fico, various solutions were offered to Ukraine, but Zelensky rejected all of them. He also argued that stopping the transit would harm the EU more than Russia.
In July, Fico asked the Ukrainian authorities not to block the supply of Russian oil to Slovakia. At that time, Kyiv placed the Russian concern Lukoil on the sanctions list, which was a problem since the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava was receiving oil from it.
After nearly three years of war, there is no indication that either side will be able to achieve all of its fundamental goals, while countries and their citizens continue to suffer the impact. In fact, despite all the sanctions, the EU’s dependence on Russian energy has increased enormously in 2024.
Russia exported about 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe in the first 11 months of this year, 18-20 percent more than a year earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak responsible for energy announced last Wednesday.
“Gas exports have increased because natural gas is a product for which there is demand,” Novak said, adding that “Russian natural gas is the most cost-effective for Europe in terms of both logistics costs and price.”
The increase was achieved from a very low base last year, when Russian pipeline gas exports fell by 55.6 percent to 28.3 billion cubic meters.
Russia transports about half of its gas to Europe through Ukrainian territory, while the rest is transported via the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.
Russian natural gas exports through Ukraine had continued uninterrupted, but the Ukrainian government has announced that it will not renew its transit agreement with Russia, which expires at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak has come out saying that it was in his country’s interest to immediately end the war.
In an interview with TA3 television, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak pointed out that the situation on the front does not indicate that Ukraine will be able to regain the territories occupied by Russia.
🇸🇰 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is back at work less than two months after being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt.
He wrote on Facebook: "Dear progressive liberal media and opposition, sorry I survived, but I'm back." pic.twitter.com/h2nV4pDcAj
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 10, 2024Kaliniak noted that it is in Slovakia’s interest to immediately establish a ceasefire between the parties, which in turn would enable further peace negotiations. The minister emphasized that the most important thing is what form post-war Ukraine will take.
In October, before flying to Brussels for a summit of EU leaders, Fico said he was very sorry, but Ukraine would probably fall victim to the great powers. “For now, they are mocking Ukraine, they are fighting to the last Ukrainian soldier,” he said at the time.
Fico had also warned that Slovakia may suspend electricity supplies to Ukraine after Jan. 1, 2025, in response to Kyiv’s decision not to extend gas transit through its territory, which will affect Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. That would mean Ukraine would have to rely on its own production.
After this warning, Zelensky said that Putin had instructed Fico to open a “second front against Ukraine” in terms of its access to energy.
“The need to import electricity arose solely due to Russia’s occupation of our nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and the deliberate destruction of a significant part of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power plants by Russian missiles and drones,” Zelensky said.
