Fico Invites Zelensky for Talks on Gas Transit

RKS NEWS
RKS NEWS 2 Min Read
2 Min Read

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks on gas transit amid disagreements over Kyiv’s decision to halt Russian gas shipments.

Ukraine stopped gas deliveries to Europe earlier this year after the expiration of a transit agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. With this decision, Kyiv aims to cut off revenue from energy that Moscow uses to finance its invasion of Ukraine, which began nearly three years ago.

Fico stated that the decision has impacted Slovakia, which shares a border with Ukraine, through higher gas prices and the loss of transit fees for gas flowing further into Europe. He said that he aims to resume gas shipments.

In an open letter addressed to Zelensky, which was published by his office, Fico suggested that a meeting could be held in Slovakia near the Ukrainian border, where technical solutions for the issue could be discussed.

“Such a meeting would create a good foundation for an open discussion on gas supplies to Slovakia and other countries through Ukrainian territory,” said Fico.

In the past, Fico has stated that an agreement was close to being reached that would allow gas shipments to continue through Ukraine, with a prior change in ownership of the gas.

However, he noted that Zelensky had rejected an extension of the gas transit deal during a European Union summit held last December.

Fico argued that Europe has lost billions of euros due to higher gas prices caused by the shortage of about 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas that passed through Ukraine last year, including 3 billion cubic meters for consumption in Slovakia.

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