Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's threats to close off electrical energy provide to Ukraine because of Kyiv's choice to droop Russian fuel transit after 2024.

Supply: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); European Pravda

Particulars: Zelenskyy careworn that Ukraine's want for electrical energy imports arose solely due to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant and Russia's deliberate destruction of Ukraine's vitality infrastructure.

Quote: "It seems that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second vitality entrance in opposition to Ukraine on the expense of the Slovak folks’s pursuits. Fico's threats to chop off Ukraine's emergency energy provide this winter whereas Russia assaults our energy crops and vitality grid can solely be defined by this," the Ukrainian president tweeted.

Addressing Fico, he famous that "supporting Russian aggression is totally immoral".

"Second, Fico's shortsighted coverage has already disadvantaged the Slovak folks of compensation for shedding Russian fuel transit. It now dangers depriving the Slovaks of one other US$200 million per yr, which Ukraine pays for the imported electrical energy," Zelenskyy added.

He defined that Slovakia accounts for about 19% of Ukraine's electrical energy imports and emphasised that the Ukrainian authorities is collaborating with neighbouring EU nations to safe the required electrical energy provides.

"Slovakia is a part of the one European vitality market and Fico should respect frequent European guidelines. Any arbitrary selections in Bratislava or Moscow's orders to Fico concerning electrical energy can’t reduce Ukraine's energy provide, however they will actually reduce present Slovak authorities' ties to the European group," Zelenskyy concluded.

Background:

• Fico criticised the Ukrainian authorities for refusing to proceed the transit of Russian fuel after 2024 and promised to contemplate retaliatory measures.
• Amongst such measures, the Slovak prime minister talked about the opportunity of chopping off electrical energy provides to Ukraine.
• Slovakia has repeatedly tried to increase the settlement between Ukraine and Russia on the transit of Russian fuel, which expires in 2024.
• Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine was not contemplating renewing the settlement with Gazprom on the transit of Russian fuel to Europe and made it clear that Kyiv wouldn’t comply with pump Russian fuel beneath the guise of Azerbaijani fuel.
• In opposition to this backdrop, Fico paid a controversial go to to Russia, the place he met with Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin.

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