Slovakia’s claims that Ukraine thwarted negotiations on energy supplies in Brussels do not reflect reality, Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov told the Brussels magazine Politico. According to him, the talks themselves were initiated by Kyiv, but they were not about gas transit, but about threats from Bratislava. informs TASR.
Slovak and Ukrainian ministers were supposed to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the consequences of stopping the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory. The European Commission was supposed to mediate them.
Only a few hours before the talks were to take place, the Slovak government issued a statement, according to which the Ukrainian side was finally not going to participate, and therefore the Commission canceled the negotiations. “However, the European Commission, in cooperation with interested parties, is looking for an alternative date in which the meeting could take place. As soon as the date is known, we will inform the media,” the Slovak Government Office said.
Čentov insists that these claims of the Slovak Republic are false and that the Brussels meeting was initiated by Kyiv. However, according to him, the discussion was supposed to touch on the warning from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico that he may stop the supply of electricity to Ukraine. In addition, the Slovak government announced the possibility of stopping aid for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
“Ukraine launched an early warning mechanism on electricity supplies after Fico’s threats to stop supplies, not because of gas transit negotiations,” said a Ukrainian diplomat. Chentsov claims that Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko planned to attend the meeting in Brussels, but had to stay in Ukraine “because of the difficult situation in the energy sector.”
And instead of accepting Kyiv’s proposal for an online meeting, Commission officials suggested that the negotiations be moved to another date, the ambassador emphasized. “The Commission is ready to discuss the consequences of the termination of transit agreements with all parties concerned. We stay in close contact (with them),” an EC spokesman assured Politico.
Together with Hungary, the Slovak Republic lobbied for the extension of the contract on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, which was valid until December 31, 2024. In this context, they warned that the stoppage of supplies would cause a major price crisis or lack of supplies. However, according to EU officials, these fears have not yet come true.
The Government Office of the Slovak Republic announced on Tuesday that Fico, together with Minister of Economy Denisa Sakova, will travel to Brussels this Thursday (January 9) to negotiate with representatives of the European Commission on stopping gas transit to Slovakia.
