Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to reduce or cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees.
This comes directly after a dispute as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies has escalated, in the context of Kiev shutting off the pipeline that has always supplied Europe with Russian gas.
But Slovakia was the principal point of entry, and will now lose over 500 million euros in transit fees.
Fico furiously called this sabotage. Last month, Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin to “fund the war and weaken Ukraine”.
“Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia’s attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president claimed.
In response to all of this, Rico proposed that Slovakia halt electricity exports it has been providing Ukraine with and “sharply reducing” financial support for the 130,530 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
He said that the only alternative would be renewal of transit or compensation mechanisms.
Poland has offered to support Ukraine with electricity if Slovakia takes the plunge.
