Kiev plans to terminate on Jan. 1, 2025, the transshipments of Russian natural gas through the pipelines built in Ukraine by the Soviet Union, and Zelenskyy has refused the request of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico to reconsider. Yesterday Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the possibility of making other arrangements. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry took exception yesterday to Fico’s meeting:
“The weakness, dependence and short-sightedness of the energy policy of the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico pose threats to the whole of Europe. For many years, Russia has been using energy as a weapon. For Moscow, it is a political lever, a tool for humiliating and threatening sovereign states, a source of corruption, dependence and blackmail in interactions with foreign politicians.” So, Europe needs to increase “energy independence” and increase “energy security.” But “the persistent attempts by the head of the Slovak government to maintain energy dependence on Moscow, contrary to EU policy and the joint work of European countries on diversifying energy supplies, are surprising.”
