President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 23 accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of undermining Europe's efforts to become independent of Russian gas and helping Moscow to fund its war against Ukraine.
Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Kyiv said it would not extend the deal on transiting Russian gas to Europe past Dec. 31.
Following the visit, Zelensky lambasted Slovakia's prime minister in a long post on social media. He called Fico's pro-Russian energy policy a "big security issue" for Slovakia and Europe, asking: "Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"
"It is worth noting that after their meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not issue joint statements or respond to media questions," Zelensky said on X.
"They simply cannot say publicly anything about what they discussed in the meeting. They are afraid of the public's reaction."
Under Fico's leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces' stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.
Abbey Fenbert
The prime minister has repeatedly made controversial statements on Ukraine and the war that echo the Kremlin's talking points, gave an interview with Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, and called for the normalization of relations with Russia.
The Ukrainian president said that though Moscow provides significant energy discounts to Fico, such discounts are paid "through sovereignty or murky schemes." Zelensky referred to a recent European meeting in Brussels at which Fico allegedly did not want to participate in a joint effort to find a replacement for Russian gas.
According to Ukraine's head of state, Fico instead wanted to "assist Russia in pushing American gas and energy resources of other partners away from Europe, implying that he wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe."
"We are losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral," Zelensky concluded.
Fico is yet to comment on Zelensky's statement.
Zelensky also said that Fico refused compensation for the lost profit during the transition period and is "interested specifically in the Russian gas" worth $500 million per year, as well as profits from oil pipe that runs through Ukraine and "gives another $500 million per year."
Fico previously told the media that Zelensky offered him 500 million euros ($520 million) from frozen Russian assets if Bratislava supports Ukraine's NATO membership, an offer the Slovak prime minister said he rejected.
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