Ukraine will not continue the transit of energy resources from Russia.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine added that he understands the dependence of individual states, including Slovakia, on Russian energy resources.
Smigal said this on October 7 at a press conference in Uzhgorod with his Slovak colleague Fico.
At the same time, the Prime Minister of Slovakia announced that his country would provide Ukraine with emergency supplies of electricity in case of a blackout. In addition, Slovakia will allocate 500 thousand euros for the energy needs of Ukraine.
Had bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. We reviewed the development of cooperation between our countries. We talked about energy and humanitarian areas, defense procurement, support for Peace Formula of President of Ukraine and our path… pic.twitter.com/7RxMN7WBXX
– Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) October 7, 2024
We have a rather cold attitude towards Ukraine’s membership in NATO, but we will participate in all conferences,” Fico said during a meeting with Smigal
He added that Slovakia supports all of Ukraine’s peace plans and will not interfere with Ukraine’s path to EU membership, but there will be “countries that will be against it.”
According to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, the country is preparing a new package of financial assistance to Ukraine and is ready to provide military assistance, but it will be a non-lethal weapon.
Ukraine’s strategic goal is to impose sanctions on the Russian gas molecule, to rid the Kremlin of income from the sale of hydrocarbons, for which the aggressor finances the war. We call on all European countries to completely abandon oil and gas from Russia,” Szmigal noted.
In Uzhgorod on October 7, a meeting between Shmygal and Fico took place: they talked about energy, defense, the peace formula and Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Prime Minister Szmigal published a photo in telegrams and wrote that “the parties reached an agreement on completing work on eight bilateral documents, including on joint control at checkpoints. They plan to sign them by the end of this year.”
Slovak Prime Minister Fico said during the meeting that he is not against Ukraine’s accession to the EU, but has a cold attitude towards Ukraine’s membership in NATO, reports Public. He added that “the Slovak government supports all peace plans of Ukraine, and also supports President Zelensky and his peace formula.”
Fico’s statements ahead of the visit
A military conflict continues in a neighboring country, in which Slovaks are being killed, and Europe is condoning these killings. The war in Ukraine continues because the West wants to bring Russia to its knees, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in an interview with STVR.
He added that next year he was going to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Let’s not resort to this Russophobia, let’s not say that every time we talk positively about the Red Army or the former Soviet Union, we are Putin’s agents. We must thank the liberators, because freedom came to Slovakia from the east,” the prime minister said.
Fico also said that he, as head of government, would never agree to Ukraine joining NATO.
He argues that Ukraine’s entry into the Alliance would be the basis for the Third World War.
Fico planned to convince Ukraine not to stop gas transit after 2024, when Ukraine’s transit agreement with Gazprom expires.
He said that he does not rule out problems with gas supplies to Slovakia, which it receives in transit through Ukraine, from the beginning of 2025 and that at an intergovernmental meeting on October 7 he will convince Kyiv to maintain transit. He noted that Slovakia supports Ukraine’s European integration and counts on friendly steps from Ukraine.
If Ukraine wants to preserve its energy infrastructure, it must use it… We support Ukraine’s accession to the EU and expect that they will act normally and reasonably,” he said.
At the end of 2024, the agreement on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expires. And in the summer, Ukraine tightened sanctions against Lukoil, after which the company’s oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia stopped.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.