Fico says Slovakia will discuss retaliation for ‘sabotage’ of Ukrainian gas shipments

Jane Lopatka

(Reuters) – Slovakia’s coalition government will discuss retaliatory measures against Ukraine after Ukraine stopped shipping Russian gas to Slovakia through its territory, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.

Fico said in a video message posted on Facebook that his Smer party would consider cutting off electricity supplies to Ukraine, reducing aid to Ukrainian refugees and demanding gas shipments be restored or compensation for what he said Slovakia had suffered due to disruptions in Russian gas supplies. losses.

Russian natural gas exports through a Soviet-era pipeline through Ukraine were halted on New Year’s Day as a transit contract between Russia and Ukraine expired, marking the end of Moscow’s decades-long dominance of European energy markets.

Slovakia has alternative gas supplies, but Fico, who has ended military aid to Ukraine and seeks better ties with Moscow, said Slovakia would lose its own transit revenue and need to pay additional transit fees to import non-Russian gas. He also said that Ukraine’s actions would lead to higher gas and electricity prices in Europe.

Fico said a Slovak delegation would discuss the situation in Brussels next Tuesday before his ruling coalition would discuss retaliation for what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called “sabotage.”

“I declare that (my Smer-SSD party) is ready to debate and agree in the coalition on the discontinuation of electricity supply and the significant reduction of support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia,” Fico said.

“The only options for sovereign Slovakia are to renew transport or demand compensation mechanisms to cover losses to public finances of almost 500 million euros.”

Zelensky last week accused Fico of opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine on Russia’s orders.

Slovak gas transport network operator Eustream, which is controlled by the state, had revenue of 158 million euros and an after-tax profit of 25 million euros in the six months to January 31 last year (the latest data published by the company on its website).

Slovakia’s state-owned gas importer SPP, which meets about two-thirds of Slovakia’s needs, said on Wednesday it would face about 90 million euros in additional costs, mainly transit fees, if it replaced all Russian gas this year.

Slovakia, which borders Ukraine to the east, exported 2.4 million megawatt hours of electricity to Ukraine in the first 11 months of 2024, data from Slovakia’s grid operator showed, while Ukraine suffered power shortages due to Russian bombing.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague; Editing by Gareth Jones and Hugh Lawson)