Zelenskyy accuses Slovakia of opening ‘second energy front’ against Ukraine
Al Jazeera
Ukraine president’s criticism comes as Kyiv is expected to stop transit of Russian gas to Slovakia as planned on January 1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico of opening a “second energy front” against Kyiv on the orders of Moscow, deepening an already tense dispute over transfers of Russian gas to Europe.
Ukraine pumps Russian natural gas through its territory to several European countries, including Slovakia, Moldova and Hungary.
But it is expected to halt the flow when an existing transit deal, which was signed before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, expires at the end of the year.
Fico, who visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, said on Friday that Slovakia would consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine – such as halting back-up electricity supplies – if Kyiv cuts off the transfers as of January 1.
“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 in a social media post on Saturday.
