Slovakia halted electricity for Ukraine

Bratislava — Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Monday shut off his country’s emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine amid a dispute over the westward transit of Russian oil.

The move follows threats by Fico of ‘countermeasures’ against Ukraine, where the flow of Russian oil to Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline was interrupted last month.

Kiev says the flow was cut due to Russian attacks.

In a Facebook video, the Slovak prime minister said he had previously asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an urgent telephone conversation about the issue.

However, because Zelensky would reportedly not be available until Wednesday, Fico said he felt “compelled to take immediate reciprocal action.”

The measure would be “immediately withdrawn as soon as oil transit to Slovakia is resumed,” Fico said.

Extending almost 9,000 kilometres, the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline originates in Russia and splits in Belarus into northern and southern branches, supplying refineries in Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

According to Ukrainian sources, it has stopped operating since the end of January due to Russian bombing.

Hungary and Slovakia – which have the closest relations with Moscow among the EU states – accuse the Ukrainian leadership of deliberately preventing the resumption of deliveries.

Budapest on Monday vetoed a massive EU loan for Kiev, and a 20th package of sanctions on Moscow, over the row.