Fico: gas transit issue should be part of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico wants the issue of gas transit through Ukrainian territory to become part of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. He said this at a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko in Košice.

According to Fico, Slovakia does not understand why the infrastructure used to import gas to Ukraine cannot be used for gas transit to Slovakia.

"I would like to say as a friend: we do not have a common position, and the issue of transit through your territory is still not completely resolved in our minds. I understand that there is a war going on. I understand that. But on the other hand, we cannot accept all the arguments, because today the Russian Federation is the second largest supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe," Fico said .

The ban on LNG from Russia should be included in the new, 19th package of EU sanctions, which is currently being blocked by Slovakia and Austria.

"I believe that during the negotiations on your accession to the European Union, which we strongly support, it is also necessary to discuss the future of transit that passes through your territory. Will it be used or not? The war will end one day, and we all pray that it will happen as soon as possible. But these are the topics we want to talk about with you frankly, as friends, because our views do not coincide here," Fico said .

According to him, Slovakia loses 500-600 million euros annually due to the termination of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers reported to that the meeting between Svyrydenko and Fico discussed "increasing pressure on Russia and forcing it to peace," as well as "protecting critical infrastructure and the unity of Europeans in supporting Ukrainians.".

• Ukraine refuses to resume suspended on January 1 2025 Russian gas transit, but does not close the possibility of transporting gas of non-Russian origin, e.g. from Azerbaijan .