Fitzo vows to veto aid to Ukraine if Kiev refuses gas transit

Slovakia will veto the continuation of financial assistance from the European Union (EU) to Ukraine if the Kiev authorities refuse to resume the transit of gas from Russia through its territory, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo has warned on 12 January. This was warned by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo on January 12.

The politician noted that from Monday, January 13, a special group with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova will continue to put pressure on the Ukrainian side to restore the flow of gas from east to west.

"Because Ukraine is refusing to transit gas that was going through Slovakia to the west, it is itself losing €800 million on transit fees. It could easily throw a billion in the trash because it receives tens of billions [from the EU]. Half of it is stolen, the other half is used to run the state," Fitzo said in an interview with ta3 TV channel.

At the same time, the Russian side has always been "a reliable partner when it comes to electricity, gas and oil supplies," the politician emphasized. And Slovakia should be ready for normal relations with Russia after the end of the Ukrainian conflict.

There is no more gas transit through Ukraine. What the media say

A day earlier, Fitzo also noted that he was fed up with the behavior of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky (term of office expired on May 20, 2024), who travels around the EU countries and only does what he constantly asks for money. Speaking on the topic of Ukraine's refusal to transit Russian gas through its territory, he noted that Moscow has always been a reliable partner when it comes to energy supplies, unlike Kiev.

Prior to that, on January 9, Fitzo threatened Kiev to stop humanitarian aid because of the decision to stop the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. The politician noted that Bratislava, as a member of the EU, has the right of veto, which it can use to block some decisions made in the association

Political analyst Aleksandr Asafov expressed an opinion in a conversation with Izvestiya on January 10 that the EU might put pressure on Slovakia after its Prime Minister Fitzo threatened to block financial aid to Kiev against the background of Ukraine's halting Russian gas transit.

In late August last year, Zelensky said the country would not extend its gas transit agreement with Russia beyond the end of 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin later noted that the country was not giving up gas transit through Ukraine. On January 1, 2025, Gazprom said it would suspend gas supplies through Ukraine. On the same day, Fitzo noted that this would have drastic consequences for the European Union, but not for Russia.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.