Prime Minister Robert Fico after Monday’s meeting with Slovak Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (both Smer-SD) as a 100% shareholder of the Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS) asked to stop the emergency supply of electricity to Ukraine.
The Prime Minister stated this on the social network. From today, according to Fico, it applies that if the Ukrainian side turns to Slovakia with a request for assistance in stabilizing the Ukrainian energy network, it will not receive such assistance.
“Before the adoption of today’s first reciprocal measure against Ukraine for the hostile acts of President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, I was interested in speaking with the President of Ukraine by phone and getting an answer on when and if oil supplies to Slovakia will be resumed. We received a message that the Ukrainian president is ready for an interview only after February 25 of this year. Due to the seriousness of the situation and the declared state of oil emergency in Slovakia, under these circumstances we are forced to proceed with the first reciprocal measure immediately. It will be canceled immediately after the resumption of oil transit to Slovakia. Otherwise, we will proceed with further reciprocal measures,” specified the Slovak Prime Minister.
“At today’s meeting with the Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic Ladislav Kamenický, as a 100% shareholder of the Slovak Electricity Transmission System and the highest representative of this joint-stock company, I asked the participants to stop the emergency supply of electricity to Ukraine. As of today, if the Ukrainian side turns to Slovakia with a request for assistance in stabilizing the Ukrainian energy network, it will not receive such assistance. As I stated, this is the first reciprocal step that the Slovak government is authorized to take without violating any international rules and obligations,” announced Fico.
If, according to him, the Ukrainian side will continue to damage the interests of Slovakia in the supply of strategic raw materials, the Slovak government will also reevaluate the constructive attitudes towards Ukraine’s membership in the EU and prepare further measures.
The Slovak Prime Minister noted that Slovakia helps Ukraine on all fronts. Despite this, the Ukrainian president treats Slovakia as an enemy. “First of all, he damaged us by stopping gas transit, the losses on our side are 500 million euros per year in transit fees. His arguments that by buying Russian gas we are supporting the Russian Federation are false and untrue because several Western countries buy Russian liquefied gas in bulk. It is a complete paradox that even the gas, which according to European law we must deliver to Ukraine, is of Russian origin,” underlined Fico.
“The President of Ukraine also deliberately harmed us by stopping the supply of oil through the Druzhba pipeline. We had to declare an oil emergency, we draw from our own reserves, the Slovnaft refinery has to search for oil in a complicated way all over the world, which increases its price as well as transportation costs. At the same time, our intelligence services report that the oil pipeline in Ukraine is operational. Every day, the Ukrainian side provides us with different information about the state of the pipeline, as well as about the readiness to continue oil transit. “Our ambassador in Kyiv has not yet been allowed to visit the part of the pipeline that the Ukrainian side claims is damaged,” the prime minister said.
Fico emphasized that Slovakia is a sovereign country and cannot be blackmailed. “We understand the difficult situation of Ukraine, but does not authorize the Ukrainian president to carry out such frivolous and hostile attacks against Slovakia, which harm him financially and cause him serious logistical difficulties,” added Fico
