Slovak Prime Minister Threatens to Cut Electricity to Ukraine Over Russian Oil Transit Dispute

Bratislava. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has given Ukraine an ultimatum to resume the transit of Russian oil within two days. He warned that if the demand is not met, the emergency electricity supply provided to war-torn Ukraine will be cut off. Fico addressed this warning to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via the social media platform X on Saturday. He stated that if the flow of Russian crude oil through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline is not resumed by Monday, he might instruct the state-owned company SEPS to halt the supply.

Ukraine had stated that the pipeline was shut down at the end of January after Russian drone attacks damaged infrastructure. However, Slovakia and neighboring Hungary are increasing pressure on Ukraine to resume the supply.

Fico accused Zelenskyy of malicious behavior towards his country. He claimed that Slovakia is incurring an annual loss of 500 million euros due to Ukraine's decision to halt Russian gas transit after the transit agreement expires on January 1, 2025.

Meanwhile, Slovakia is a significant source of electricity from Europe for Ukraine. According to energy experts, about 18 percent of the electricity Ukraine imported last month came from Slovakia, which is considered essential for the Ukrainian power grid damaged by the Russian invasion.

In the meantime, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb has also signaled that he might block the European Union's aid package for Ukraine. This suggests that regional energy and political tensions are likely to escalate further.