Ukraine has sought support from European authorities after threats by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. This was announced by the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushchenko, citing a statement to RBC-Ukraine, News.bg reports.
The complaint is related to Fico's ultimatum, which threatened to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine if the country does not abandon its plans to stop the transit of Russian gas to Europe. Galushchenko stressed that he had sought assistance from the European Commissioner for Energy, ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators) and the EU Energy Community to ensure that the issues would be addressed according to established norms.
“We would really like everyone in the EU to adhere to the rules and regulations that exist today,“ Galushchenko said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also revealed that he had discussed with European representatives the import of electricity from the EU to Ukraine. According to him, 19% of imports come from Slovakia. Zelensky criticized Fico and stressed the need to adhere to common European principles. “European rules must be strong and unchangeable, regardless of the personal ties of one or another politician to Moscow,“ he added.
Earlier, Zelensky called the Slovak prime minister's threats short-sighted and prone to pro-Russian sentiments, which may even have been inspired by Moscow.
“It seems that Putin has instructed Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine, harming the Slovak people. This is evidenced by the threats to interrupt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine in the winter, especially given the Russian attacks,“ the Ukrainian president pointed out.