Slovakia to cut aid to Ukrainian refugees as dispute of gas transit escalates
- 3 January, 07:33
Slovakia’s far-right Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to reduce benefits to more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as the dispute over transit of Russian gas continues to escalate.
On January 1, Ukraine shut off a pipeline that used to supply Russian natural gas to Central Europe via its territory. Slovika is expected to loose millions in transit fees as the country was the main entry point for the Russian gas.
"On behalf of Smer [Slovakia’s ruling party] I declare that we are prepared to negotiate and reach agreements within the coalition regarding the suspension of electricity supplies and a significant reduction in support for Ukrainian citizens residing in the Slovak Republic," Fico said on January 1.
The prime minister described the halt of transit of Russian gas as “Zelenekiy’s “sabotage”. He explained that termination of the contract between Ukraine and Russia’s Gazprom did not threaten gas supplies to Slovak households, because they are secured. However, the consequence of the Ukrainian president’s decision was the loss of transit income that amounts to around half a million euros a year. Fico confirmed that Slovak government will discuss the halt of Russian gas transports during negotiations in Brussels.
Russian gas delivered to European markets via Ukraine stopped flowing on January 1 after the expiration of a five-year deal between Kyiv and Russia’s energy giant Gazprom. Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced in December that the contract would not be renewed due to Russia’s war of aggression against his country.
