'Absurd': Fico escalates dispute with Zelenskyy over transit of Russian gas

Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, has escalated his long-running dispute with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, over his decision to completely halt the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory after the end of 2024.

Slovakia, a landlocked country, remains highly dependent on Russian gas, which it gets from Gazprom, the state-owned monopoly, through a pipeline throughout Ukraine.

"If anyone is going to prevent the transit of gas to the territory of the Slovak Republic, if anyone is going to cause an increase in gas prices on the territory of Europe, if anyone is going to cause enormous economic damage to the European Union, it is President Zelenskyy," Robert Fico said in a combative press conference at the end of a one-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

"He has a right to be nervous. I would not want to be in his shoes because the country is struggling," he added, insisting Slovakia would never allow Ukraine to join NATO.

Zelenskyy, who took part in Thursday's gathering to plead for more military support against Russia's invading forces, made it clear the transit contract between Gazprom and Ukraine, from which Kyiv has earned steady revenue, would not be renewed for 2025.

"We're not going to extend the transit of Russian gas," Zelenskyy told reporters.

"We won't allow them to earn additional billions on our blood. And any country in the world that can get something cheap from Russia will eventually become dependent on Russia – whether it happens in one month or one year. That's their policy," he said.

The ban, he added, will apply to any gas flow "coming from Russia" to avoid the risk of having Russian gas sold to Europe under the guise of Azerbaijan-made gas.

According to Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank, Slovakia and other landlocked countries of Central Europe could resort to an "exchange" mechanism: Azerbaijan would buy gas from Russia labelled "Russian gas" while Russia would supply gas to Ukraine and the rest of Europe labelled as "Azeri gas" using the same infrastructure.

But on Thursday, Zelenskyy ruled out any such hypothetical scenario, arguing the Kremlin would still earn money to finance its large-scale invasion.

"We don't want to play a game where this other country receives gas from Russia and then transits it. This is the same as continuing to profit from this war and sending money to Russia," Zekenskyy said.

The president offered one exemption to the prohibition: Ukraine would permit the transit of Russian gas if the European buyer agreed not to pay Russia until the war ended.

"We will think about that," he said. "But we would not give Russia any chance to make additional billions that would be put into the war."

Fico expressed his surprise at the "abruptness" of Zelenskyy's position and slammed his idea to forfeit payments to Russia as "absurd".

"What kind of fool would give us gas for free? So, it is quite obvious that this is going to extremes," the Slovak said.

"We can buy gas anywhere. We can buy Azerbaijani, we can take whatever steps we want. I think he said quite clearly today that, as far as the gas transportation is concerned, from the East to the West, he has shown absolutely no interest in that."

The prime minister underlined his country was "well prepared" to face 2025 because gas storage was abundant and domestic demand was "not high". However, he repeatedly warned about the increase in wholesale prices after the cessation of transit.

"If the gas flow from the East to the West is stopped, it will put pressure on gas prices on the international market and, overall, it will cause huge economic losses for the European Union, which will be felt at a later stage," he said.

"Why on Earth should we pay such a price, because we are helping Ukraine?" Fico asked.

Gas prices at the TTF, Europe's leading hub, have increased in December over the uncertain future of Ukraine's transit route, trading at around €44 per megawatt-hour.

"To be honest during the war, it's a bit shameful to talk about money because we're losing people," Zelenskyy said in his press conference.

Fico also warned that if the gas pipeline crossing Ukraine ceases to operate, it could become a military target for one of the warring parties, without specifying which.

"If this pipeline dries up, if the infrastructure in Ukraine is not used, what is the certainty that this infrastructure will be preserved? What assurance is there that it will not be destroyed?" he said, noting an incident "similar" to the attack on Nordsteam may occur.

In his post-summit intervention, Fico appealed directly to the European Commission to mediate between Kyiv and Bratislava and find a solution to the growing dispute.

But in a statement to Euronews, a Commission spokesperson said renewing the transit contract would run counter to the bloc's goal of cutting all ties with Russian gas.

"The Commission has no interest in the continuation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine. The Commission was not involved in these discussions nor facilitated them," the spokesperson said, describing the bloc as "fully prepared" for the transition.

"We expect the impact of the end of transit via Ukraine on the EU's security of supply to be limited. The 14 billion cubic meters per year currently transiting via Ukraine can be fully replaced by LNG and non-Russian pipeline imports via alternative routes," the spokesperson added.

Fico and Zelenskyy have had strained relations since the Slovak returned to power in October last year. One of Fico's first decisions was to stop military aid to Ukraine. He has also strenuously opposed EU sanctions on Russia's gas and nuclear energy.