Slovakia Contemplates Halting Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine Amidst Gas Transit Dispute: PM Fico
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Brussels, Jan 10 (NationPress) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico mentioned that his administration is contemplating the possibility of suspending humanitarian support to Ukraine as part of a strategy in response to the persistent Russian gas transit dispute.
In statements made to the media in Brussels following his discussions with European Union (EU) Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, Fico revealed on Thursday that Slovakia is assessing possible actions, which may include vetoing EU resolutions related to Ukraine. Additional actions under consideration involve halting emergency electricity shipments to Ukraine and scaling back assistance for Ukrainian war refugees, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Fico underscored that Slovakia does not intend to escalate tensions but will proceed with these actions if a resolution is not reached. He also declared the formation of a working group with the European Commission to tackle the issue.
The conflict emerged following the expiration of the gas transit agreement between Ukraine and Russia on December 31. Gas deliveries to Slovakia were interrupted the following day when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chose not to extend the contract.
Concerning the cessation of gas flows from Russia, Fico cautioned about considerable economic fallout, projecting potential losses of nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.55 billion) for Slovakia and around 70 billion euros for the EU (1 euro = $1.03).
Previously, the halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine raised concerns about supply deficiencies and escalating energy prices, especially in landlocked European nations such as Slovakia.
Both Ukraine and Russia announced the interruption, compelling certain EU nations to seek more expensive energy alternatives.
Slovak PM Robert Fico had earlier stated that halting gas transit through Ukraine to Europe would produce severe consequences for all in the European Union (EU), but would not adversely affect Russia.
This stoppage follows Ukraine's decision not to renew a 2019 gas transit agreement between its state-owned Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom, which expired on December 31, 2024.
