Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will not visit Kyiv to discuss the halting of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, Tibor Gaspar, deputy-speaker of the Slovak Parliament told Russian state-controlled news agency TASS on Jan. 14 during a visit in Moscow.
A day earlier, Fico had proposed in an open letter a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Slovakia to discuss the gas transit issue.
In a response posted on social media, Zelensky agreed to the meeting but insisted Fico "come to Kyiv on Friday."
“Yesterday, Prime Minister Fico published an open letter for Zelensky and invited him for talks. Zelensky replied that it was necessary to come to Kyiv on Friday. It's not possible. I think it will not happen,” Gaspar said.
The development is the latest in an escalating conflict between Ukraine and Slovakia over Kyiv's decision to stop Russian gas transit.
While the EU has made efforts to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, remain reliant on Russian gas.
Fico estimated Slovakia's alleged losses from stopping Russian gas supplies via Ukraine at 500 million euros ($510 million) per year.
Fico has threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine amid increasing blackouts due to Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and also threatened to limit aid to Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
Zelensky previously said that Ukraine had offered Slovakia assistance for the adaptation period, but "Fico arrogantly refused."
Asami Terajima
