Slovakia considers cutting power supply to Ukraine and limiting support for refugees to compensate for losses
Slovakia is preparing to take retaliatory measures against kyiv after it stopped the transit of Russian fuel through its territory on January 1, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico, who called the move an act of “sabotage” by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
kyiv refused to extend the contract with Russia’s Gazprom beyond the end of 2024, effectively cutting off the flow of fuel puree to EU member states such as Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
The situation is “Extremely serious and deserving of a sovereign response from Slovakia.” fico saying in a video message on Facebook on Thursday. He argued that the suspension would cause Slovakia to lose hundreds of billions of euros a year. Finding a substitute for Russian fuel this year alone could generate at least €90 million in additional costs, according to Slovakia’s state fuel importer, SPP.
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“The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is to renew transit or demand compensation mechanisms that replace the loss of almost 500 million euros in public finances.” stated the prime minister.
“I declare that (my Smer-SSD party) is ready to discuss and agree in the coalition on the interruption of electricity supply and a significant reduction in support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia,” he added. There are approximately 140,000 Ukrainian refugees benefiting from various assistance programs. The country also exported 2.4 million megawatt-hours of electricity to Ukraine in the first 11 months of 2024, according to data from the Slovak grid operator.
Fico stressed that only the United States, which has increased its fuel exports to Europe, benefits from Zelensky’s act of “sabotage,” while Russia faces no significant damage and Slovakia bears higher energy costs. Moscow also stated that Ukraine’s decision only benefits the United States at the expense of Washington’s supposed allies.
“The United States is the main beneficiary of this redistribution in the Old World energy markets and the main sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis.“Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
Zelensky previously accused Fico of siding with Moscow and described the Slovak government’s stance as opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine. The Slovak Foreign Ministry dismissed these statements as unfounded. “disparate.”
The European Commission has sought to downplay the impact of the end of the fuel deal, stating that the EU’s fuel infrastructure is flexible enough to accommodate non-Russian fuel supplies via alternative routes. Despite these assurances, the sudden disruption has caused energy prices to rise in Europe, reaching €50 per megawatt-hour for the first time in more than a year.
