Fitzo pointed to EU double standards in the issue of gas transit from Russia

The European Union (EU) does not pay attention to the fact that Russian gas is supplied to Ukraine, but reproaches Slovakia for wanting to receive this fuel from the Russian Federation. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said on February 12.

"Foreign suppliers buy Russian gas in Europe and it is then sent through the reverse pipe in Vojany to Ukraine on the basis of European legislation. <...> When we wanted to buy Russian gas, so it was immoral and everyone applauded [Ukrainian President with expired powers on May 20, 2024 Vladimir] Zelensky for his decision to stop transit," Fitzo said in a video message published on his Facebook page (part of Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia).

The head of the Slovak government pointed out that Ukraine thus per day receives about 7.5 million cubic meters of gas from Russia, and called this situation insane. At the same time, Europe is looking at all this through its fingers, he added.

Fitzo emphasized that such gas pumping, directed from west to east, causes an increase in prices for this fuel resource and leads to its shortage in the EU. The Prime Minister suggested that gas will continue to rise in price because Ukraine has empty storage facilities and consumption is at a high level.

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The day before, on February 11, the head of the Slovak government said that foreign companies supply gas to Ukraine through a reserve pipeline that runs through Slovakia. Fitzo emphasized that Bratislava had nothing to do with this situation. The prime minister noted that Ukraine could freeze without such supplies, but the Slovak authorities have the right to consider measures to stop such gas pumping.

The mass media reported on January 30 that the level of gas filling in Ukrainian underground storage facilities had dropped to the critical 10% mark, and this is a historical minimum for the country. Last year they were filled at the level of 20 percent, and at the beginning of 2023 - at 22-23 percent.

Fitzo said on January 28 that Bratislava will block all EU aid to Kiev if the latter does not resume Russian gas transit through its territory. The head of the Slovak government emphasized that "the threat of retaliatory measures is the only language that Zelensky understands."

At the end of August 2024, the head of the Kiev regime said that Ukraine would not extend the gas transit agreement with Russia, which was valid until the end of 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, later pointed out that Moscow itself did not refuse to supply the resource through Ukrainian territory, but could not force Kiev to change the decision.

In the end, Gazprom announced the suspension of Russian gas supplies to the EU via Ukraine from January 1, 2025. The corporation noted that this happened due to the repeated and clearly expressed refusal of the Ukrainian side to extend these agreements.