Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called Volodymyr Zelensky “sabotage” when Ukraine cut off gas transit from Russia to the European Union. In a video published on Thursday, he again threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine and also talked about the possibility of limiting protection for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, claims that the suspension of the transit does not threaten the delivery of gas to Slovak households, but only caused the loss of income from the delivery of gas through Slovakia’s territory to Western Europe. He estimated it at half a billion euros a year.
Slovakia threatens to cut off electricity supply
The prime minister announced that representatives of Slovakia will discuss the suspension of transit next Tuesday in Brussels. According to some sources, representatives of Ukraine, Slovakia and the European Commission will participate in this meeting.
After these talks, Fico wants to call a meeting of the governing coalition and then his cabinet regarding the possible suspension of electricity transmission and significant reduction of protection for Ukrainian citizens on the territory of the Slovak Republic.
It is said that in Slovakia, about 140,000 refugees from Ukraine have left their country due to the Russian attack. There are about 64 thousand workers and students here.
Ukrainians in Slovakia benefit from various aid programs, which the authorities will limit in 2024 by adjusting the amount or duration of support. The latest amendment from the fall limited the subsidy for housing costs from 120 to 60 days. Non-governmental organizations estimate that the layoffs directly affected 15,000 people.
The “historic” decision of Ukraine
On January 1, the Ministry of Energy of Kyiv announced in a statement that at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. in Poland) Ukraine suspended the transit of Russian gas through its territory. – We stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historical event. Russia will lose markets and suffer financial losses as well. Energy Minister Herman Halushzenko said that Europe has already decided to give up Russian raw materials.
The state company “Gazprom” of Russia announced on Wednesday morning that it was “deprived of the technical and legal possibilities to transport gas through Ukraine”. “On January 1, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (in Poland), the validity period of the documents dated December 30, 2019 between Gazprom and Naftogaz regarding the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine expired,” Gazprom reports. reported and added that “as of 8 o’clock in the morning in Moscow, there is no Russian gas delivery for transit through Ukraine.
Most of the Russian gas routes to Europe, including the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline (via Belarus) and the Nord Stream gas pipeline (in the Baltic Sea) have been closed.
Also read: “Historical event”. Gas transit is suspended, “Russia is losing markets” >>>
Main photo credit: JEON HEON-KYUN/PAP
