The Ukrainian president’s criticism comes as Kiev is expected to stop the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia on January 1, as planned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico to open a “second energy front” against Kiev on Moscow’s orders, thereby exacerbating the already tense dispute over the transfer of Russian gas to Europe.
Ukraine pumps Russian natural gas through its territory to several European countries, including Slovakia, Moldova and Hungary.
However, the flow is expected to stop when an existing transit agreement, previously signed, comes into force Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022expires at the end of the year.
Fico, who visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, said on Friday that Slovakia would consider countermeasures against Ukraine – such as halting replacement electricity supplies – if Kiev stops transfers from January 1.
“It seems that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the Slovak people,” Zelensky wrote in a social media post on Saturday.
It seems that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the Slovak people. Fico’s threats to cut off Ukraine’s emergency power supply this winter while Russia attacks our power plants and energy grid can only be refuted.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) December 28, 2024
“Fico’s threats to cut off Ukraine’s emergency power supply this winter while Russia is attacking our power plants and energy grid can only be explained by this,” he said, adding that Fico “draws Slovakia into Russia’s attempts to cause more suffering for the Ukrainians.”
Slovakia wants to maintain Russian gas supplies via Ukraine, saying alternative routes would increase costs and affect its transit operations, while the country would miss out on 500 million euros ($521 million) in fees.
Kiev has said it will not sign a new gas transit deal with Moscow as the war between the two countries continues.
The Ukrainian government has been forced to import electricity from several of its neighbors since Russia began attacking its power grid in late 2022, damaging or destroying much of the country’s non-nuclear generation capacity.
Russian gas accounted for less than 10 percent European Union gas imports in 2023. In 2021, a year before the Ukraine invasion began, it was more than 40 percent.
However, EU members in Eastern Europe still largely rely on Russian gas for geographical and political reasons.
Zelenskyy said Slovakia is currently responsible for 19 percent of Ukraine’s electricity imports and that Kiev is working with its EU neighbors to bolster supplies.
“Slovakia is part of the European internal energy market and Fico must respect common European rules,” the Ukrainian president said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Slovakia’s prime minister said on Friday his country could serve as a meeting point for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
Fico is one of the few European leaders who have remained close to the Kremlin his meeting with Putin in Moscow on December 22 sparked an angry reaction in Ukraine.
“If someone turns to us and is interested in organizing peace talks in Slovakia on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, they can count on our hospitality,” Fico said in a video message posted on Facebook.
Fico said he discussed the proposal with Putin during his surprise visit to the Russian capital and was pleased with the positive reaction.
