Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that he will visit the Slovak electricity transmission operator SEPS on Monday and request that it halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. The announcement was made in a video message published on social media on Sunday.
Fico had already indicated on Saturday that such a step was possible. At the time, however, he said the measure would only be taken if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not allow the resumption of Russian oil deliveries to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline by Monday.
According to the Slovak prime minister, if Zelenskyy tells Slovakia to buy gas and oil elsewhere rather than from Russia, a move he said would be more difficult and costly, then Slovakia has the right to respond. His remarks were reported by the Slovak public news agency TASR.
In his video message, Fico also expressed concern that the European Union is prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over those of its own member states. He argued that doubts about the EU are already growing rapidly and warned that such policies could eventually make the bloc unable to reach decisions requiring unanimous approval.
Fico also criticized the EU’s planned war loan to Ukraine, saying there is an imbalance in priorities. He claimed that while the EU does not have the resources to lower electricity prices, it is able to provide a 90 billion euro loan to Kyiv, which he suggested would not be repaid. He added that he considers it a positive decision that Slovakia did not participate in the loan.
The Slovak leader also reacted to remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Europe must ensure that Russia will no longer be able to continue the war economically or militarily in the future.
Responding to those comments, Fico said they indicate that Europe wants to assume full responsibility for financing the war in Ukraine. He described such a course as highly irresponsible and warned that it could amount to economic self-harm. According to Fico, the remarks also suggest that military support for Ukraine will continue at all costs, despite the fact that, in his view, the conflict does not have a military solution.
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