Based on an article by Anna Florin, the city of Bratislava suspended emergency electricity supply to Ukraine on Monday due to Kyiv's failure to restore the required Druzhba oil transit. The refusal by Kyiv to resume oil transit at the request of Slovakia and Hungary has resulted in Prime Minister Robert Fico's warning of additional measures regarding EU support for Kyiv.
Redaksiya reports that Slovakia halted emergency electricity supply to Ukraine on Monday. This move comes amid an escalating dispute over Russian oil transit, which Kyiv stated was halted last month due to a Russian drone attack. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced this decision after the ultimatum to Kyiv regarding the Druzhba oil pipeline expired.
In a video statement, Robert Fico stated that Ukraine would no longer receive aid to stabilize its energy grid. The Slovak leader had demanded on Saturday that Kyiv resume oil flow by Monday, warning of an interruption in emergency electricity supply. Fico also noted that Slovakia's ambassador to Kyiv was not allowed to visit the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline. He called the halt in oil flow a purely political decision to blackmail Slovakia.
Slovakia is prepared to take further measures, including reconsidering its support for Ukraine's EU membership, if Ukraine does not resume oil transit. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move, calling Fico's ultimatum "blackmail" that serves Russia's interests. The Druzhba pipeline, according to Ukraine, ceased operations on January 27th following a Russian drone attack near Brody in western Ukraine. Ukraine stated that it conducted detailed technical inspections of the damaged equipment and simultaneously proposed alternative transit routes, including the Odessa-Brody pipeline.
Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán disagree with Ukraine's explanation, claiming there are no technical obstacles to resuming supply. Hungary halted diesel fuel shipments to Ukraine last week and threatened to block a €90 billion EU loan package to Kyiv if Russian oil supplies are not restored. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also stated that Budapest would block the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia. Slovakia declared a state of emergency regarding oil to ensure its own refinery could meet domestic demand after the pipeline closure. Today marks four years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Over the past four years, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure and civilian facilities with daily drone and missile attacks, aiming to demoralize Ukrainians, especially during the harsh winter months.