Ukraine will not give up on stopping Russian gas transit even for "reconciliation" with Fico - Sybiha
Ukraine is not considering concessions to Slovakia and agreeing to renew the transit agreement with Gazprom in order to improve relations with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
This was stated by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an interview with Yevropeiska Pravda, Censor.NET reports.
"Gas transit has been completed since January 1, as the Ukrainian side has repeatedly reported at the highest level. And there are no plans to resume it. We did inform the European side (at the EU summit - Ed.) of our position. This position is unchanged," the minister said.
Sybiha emphasized that cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia is not limited to the gas issue and hinted that Kyiv prefers to stand its ground and "endure" a difficult period in relations so that Slovakia no longer depends on Russian gas.
"It's no secret that Russia uses energy as a weapon. And those decisions that seem painful to some today will play a positive role in the future. Dependence on Russia in the gas issue does not end well - we have been there and know that the bill that Russia later issues is many times higher. Sometimes we have to pay for it with a part of our sovereignty... This is why good neighborly relations exist, to call a spade a spade," the Foreign Minister explained.
He believed that Austria, for which the cessation of transit was also unpleasant news, had found alternative suppliers and was now independent of Russian gas.
He also commented on the possibility that Slovakia might block the opening of the first chapters in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations because of the gas transit halt.
"We cannot make Ukraine's movement towards the EU dependent on any misunderstandings, and we will react very strongly if this happens. This is unacceptable. And not only on the part of Slovakia.
We should not abuse our status as a member of the EU and NATO and make such decisions dependent on current misunderstandings that we will sooner or later overcome. After all, these countries also went through this path once. And they also have painful injuries," Sybiha summarized.
Stopping Russian gas transit
As a reminder, at 07:00 on January 1, 2025, the transportation of Russian natural gas through Ukraine was stopped in the interests of national security.
The Cabinet of Ministers said that Ukraine had duly informed the European Commission about the termination of gas transit. European countries are prepared.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has also previously threatened to stop exporting electricity to Ukraine and significantly reduce support for Ukrainian refugees in response to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory.
Recently, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "beggar and blackmailer."
Earlier it was reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was "obviously mistaken" in hoping that his shadowy schemes with Moscow would exist indefinitely.
