Poland is ready to increase electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovakia stops supplying - Bloomberg
Poland is ready to increase its electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico fulfills his threat to cut off backup electricity supplies to Ukraine.
A high-ranking official said this on condition of anonymity in a commentary to Bloomberg , Censor.NET reports.
According to the official, the Polish government is ready to increase domestic electricity production to compensate for any imbalance that may arise in the Ukrainian energy system if Slovakia takes the above step.
"Nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bratislava still relies on cheap gas from Gazprom, undermining European Union efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy," Bloomberg writes.
The article notes that although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that from January 2025 he will not allow gas transit that benefits the Kremlin's military machine, he has made it clear that he will be open to transporting fuel from countries other than Russia if the European Commission requests it.
"Energy analysts say that even if an agreement is reached to continue transit through Ukraine, it will only be temporary, as the Commission is preparing a roadmap to stop the bloc's energy imports from Russia. This strategy should be made public in February," the agency adds.
What happened before?
On December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would not continue transiting Russian gas, although he noted that he might consider transporting gas from other sources, provided that Russia does not receive funds until the war ends. Zelenskyy also emphasized his readiness for negotiations with the EU and member states on new supplies.
Earlier, the Hungarian company MOL Group agreed to transport Russian oil through Belarus and Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary. At the same time, Slovakia has announced its intention to continue negotiations with the EU, Ukraine, and other countries to secure gas supplies if the contract with Russia, which includes transit through Ukraine, is not extended.
