What's the spat between Ukraine's Zelenskyy, Slovakia's Fico over gas transit?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday (December 28) accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of acting on Russian orders to create a “second energy front” against Ukraine as tensions over gas transit between the two countries escalated.

Ukraine has been transporting Russian natural gas to European nations, including Slovakia, under a transit deal set to expire at the end of the year. Kyiv has announced it will not renew the agreement due to Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Fico, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, responded Friday (December 27) by warning Slovakia could halt backup electricity supplies to Ukraine if gas transit stops on January 1.

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“It appears that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people’s interests,” Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform X.

Slovakia’s dependence on Russian gas

Slovakia relies on Russian gas transported via Ukraine and has argued that alternative routes would increase costs and harm its transit operations, leading to an estimated loss of €500 million in fees. Fico has pressed for continued gas supplies, but the impending end of the transit deal makes this “practically impossible,” he said.

Ukraine’s energy challenges

Since late 2022, Ukraine has been importing electricity from neighboring countries after Russian attacks severely damaged its power grid. Zelenskyy noted that Slovakia provides 19 per cent of Ukraine’s power imports and warned that cutting those supplies would cost Slovakia $200 million annually.

“Slovakia is part of the single European energy market and Fico must respect common European rules,” Zelenskyy wrote, emphasizing Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen power supplies with European Union partners.

Tensions within the EU

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Fico of aligning with Putin by issuing “senseless threats” to sever electricity supplies. Fico, who took office in 2023, has been an outspoken critic of military aid to Ukraine and is one of the EU’s most pro-Russian voices.

After his meeting with Putin, Fico claimed that Russia was willing to continue supplying gas to Slovakia but noted this would be unfeasible without a new transit deal.

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The dispute underscores the challenges facing Ukraine and its European allies as they navigate energy dependencies and rising geopolitical tensions.

With inputs from agencies