Faced with the anger of the Slovak Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelensky invited Robert Fico for face-to-face discussions in Kyiv after the termination of a Russian gas transit contract via Ukraine. For several weeks, the two Ukrainian and Slovak leaders have been clashing over this thorny subject.
The Ukrainian President refused to renew a long-term transit contract between the Russian company Gazprom and Ukraine, which expired at the end of 2024, due to Russian aggression. “We will not let them make billions more on our backs”he declared in mid-December.
Volodymyr Zelensky also ruled out the transit of gas from Azerbaijan, which he said could also be used by Moscow to continue its activities, unless payments are suspended until the end of the war.
This decision will, however, have a considerable impact on gas supplies to Slovakia. Robert Fico, whose landlocked country depends on imports of cheap Russian gas, called the idea of delaying payments “absurd” and warned against “huge economic damage” future. “What kind of crazy person would give us gas for free?” Mr. Fico said in December.
The European Commission, keen to prevent Russia from financing its war economy through the sale of fossil fuels, implicitly supported Kyiv’s decision, saying it had no “no point in Russian gas continuing to pass through Ukraine.”
The feud between the Ukrainian and Slovak leaders worsened after Mr. Fico traveled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. The visit of Hungarian Viktor Orbán last July had already sparked strong reactions reaction.
Last week, Mr Fico went to Brussels for discussions with the Commission, which led to no progress.
During a press conferencethe Slovak threatened to take retaliatory measures against Mr. Zelensky, including cutting off electricity supplies to Ukraine, withdrawing humanitarian aid from Ukrainian refugees and vetoing EU decisions aimed at to help kyiv.
“Some may say that what I say is cruel, but it is also cruel what Zelensky is doing to us and what he is doing to the EU” Mr. Fico told reporters.
Later, in a social media post, Mr. Zelensky mocked the luxury vacation Mr. Fico had recently spent in Vietnam, previously revealed by Slovak media, and said the attempt at dialogue with Mr. Putin was a “losing bet”.
“Mr. Fico made an obvious mistake in believing that his shenanigans with Moscow could continue indefinitely”written by M. Zelensky. “Today he is resorting to public relations, lies and sensational accusations to shift the blame to others.”
On Monday, Mr. Fico invited Mr. Zelensky to a meeting near the Ukrainian border in Slovakia to discuss technical solutions to the dispute “as soon as possible”.
“Your decision to interrupt the transit of gas through Ukraine to Slovakia and other consumers causes enormous damage to Ukraine itself, to Slovakia and especially to the European Union. It provokes reactions various, which contributes neither to bilateral nor to multilateral relations”wrote Mr. Fico.
“I do not intend to respond to your statement on Sunday […] because I do not intend to aggravate tensions”he added, referring to Mr. Zelensky’s biting message.
The Ukrainian leader, however, seemed unimpressed by the proposal, writing on X: “OK. Come to Kyiv on Friday.”
Although Mr. Fico has not yet responded to the offer, the vice-speaker of the Slovak Parliament told Russian media that Mr. Fico’s visit to Kyiv was not “not possible” and would “not take place”.
Euronews has contacted Mr Fico’s office for comment.
