Dependence of Slovak Prime Minister Fico’s energy policy poses threats to whole of Europe, - Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry
The weakness, dependence, and short-sightedness of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's energy policy pose threats to the whole of Europe.
This is stated in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
"Russia has been using energy as a weapon for many years. For Moscow, it is a political lever, an instrument of humiliation and threats to sovereign states, a source of corruption, dependence and blackmail in cooperation with foreign politicians," the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that against this background, the pan-European trend is to abandon Russian energy carriers, increase energy independence, diversify sources and, as a result, increase energy security for every European family and household.
The ministry also noted that a recent example of refusal from Russian gas is Austria, which for many years had no alternatives to energy supplies from Russia, but "eventually found the opportunity to refuse them thanks to the wise and far-sighted policy of the government."
"Against this background, the persistent attempts of the head of the Slovak government to maintain energy dependence on Moscow, contrary to EU policy and the joint work of European countries to diversify energy supplies, are surprising," the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that "during the year, his actions were actually aimed at helping Russia to continue to push American and other gas out of the European market, to maintain Europe's dependence and to weaken our continent."
"This time could have been used to resolve all existing problems and find mutually acceptable solutions in coordination with European partners and, in particular, neighbors. Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized its readiness to consider the relevant requests from the European Commission, but the Slovak prime minister chose a different course," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It is also emphasized that Ukraine pays the highest price - the price of human lives - for deterring Russian aggression and protecting European homes, including Slovak ones, from Russian murderers. "We will not accept the shameful policy of appeasement, which has already proven to be a mistake in the last century. The Slovak side should remember this better than anyone else," the Foreign Ministry said.
Ukraine also calls on all European partners to work together to reduce dependence on Russian energy and strengthen Europe's energy security.
To recap, on December 22, 2024, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
He said that he paid a visit to Putin in response to Zelenskyy's reluctance to continue the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.
