BRATISLAVA Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening to “complicate” the adoption of this week’s EU summit conclusions in Brussels unless the bloc demands that Ukraine resume gas transit through its territory.
Fico (Smer-SD/NI) did not explicitly state whether he would block the conclusions if his demands were not met.
At a press conference outlining Slovakia’s conditions ahead of the EU summit, he warned that the gas market situation was critical.
“Without gas transit through Ukrainian territory, Europe will never be competitive,” he declared.
Fico insisted that this did not necessarily mean the transit of Russian gas, arguing that Kyiv could also transport gas from Azerbaijan. He also criticized the EU for not demanding anything in return for its support of Ukraine.
Earlier, Slovakia’s Prime minister accused Ukraine of exploiting EU regulations that require pipeline owners to transport purchased gas into Ukraine. According to him, foreign traders are using Slovakia’s reverse-flow pipeline in Vojany to bypass restrictions.
(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)