Zelenskiy Pushes Back Against Slovakian PM’s Power-Cut Threat
(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed back at a threat by Slovakia to cut off back-up power supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv stops transporting Russian gas to central Europe.
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It appears Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Robert Fico, the Slovak prime minister, “the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people’s interests,” Zelenskiy said on Saturday in a lengthy post on X.
Fico made the threat in a video posted on Facebook on Friday evening. “After Jan. 1, we will assess the situation and potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine,” the Slovak leader said. “If necessary, we will stop supplying electricity that Ukraine urgently needs during network outages.”
Russian gas that flows through Ukraine to Europe will halt at the end of the year when the current deal expires if an alternative can’t be found. Slovakia is one of the biggest remaining buyers, and has been cranking up the pressure on Ukraine to find a solution. Fico threatened to retaliate if Zelenskiy doesn’t give him what he wants, and Friday’s comments were his strongest warning yet.
Russia has stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since March, destroying about half of power generating capacities and causing blackouts across the country. Ukraine heavily relies on imports, including from Slovakia.
Slovakia still receives Russian oil that transits Ukraine through the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies could be a possible counter-move for Kyiv if Slovakia stops electricity exports, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing politically sensitive matters.
The escalation on both sides raises the political stakes as the clock ticks down to the gas agreement expiring on Jan. 1.
Fico justified the threat by pointing to the significant impact that stopping flows of Russian gas would have on Europe’s economy. The European Union will face an additional 120 billion euros ($125 billion) in energy costs over the next two years as a result of a halt, he said.
“Stopping the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine is not just a hollow political gesture,” Fico said. “It’s an extremely costly move, one that we, in the European Union, will pay for.”
Both Russia and Ukraine have made it clear that they can’t easily find common ground on the terms of a deal as tensions deepen. The Slovak premier wants to maintain gas transit beyond 2024 and says he has suggested alternative solutions that would not require contact between the warring nations.
“Fico’s shortsighted policy has already deprived the Slovak people of compensation for losing Russian gas transit,” Zelenskiy said on X. “It now risks depriving the Slovaks of another $200 million per year, which Ukraine pays for the imported electricity.”
Earlier in the week, the Ukrainian leader accused Fico, who met with Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22, of striking “shadow agreements” with Putin.
--With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska.
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