Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates.
On January 1, Kyiv shuts down pipeline Which has been used for decades to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.
Slovakia was the main entry point, and the country now faces the loss of millions of euros in transit fees.
According to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Last month, there were 130,530 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia out of 6,813,900 refugees globally.
Fico – from in December He made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin He described Kyiv’s move as “subversive.”
The EU member state's prime minister said he would propose halting electricity exports to Ukraine as well as a “sharp reduction” in financial support for Ukrainians who have found shelter in Slovakia.
He said there was no risk that Slovakia itself would suffer from a gas shortage, because it had already made alternative arrangements.
But Fico added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to turn off the taps would deprive Slovakia of 500 million euros (£415 million; $518 million) in transit fees from other countries.
Last month, Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin “finance the war and weaken Ukraine.”
“Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia's attempts to cause more suffering to Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president said.
Poland has offered to support Kiev if Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports, supplies that are critical to Ukraine, whose power plants are under regular attacks from Russia.
The Polish government described stopping production as “another victory” over Moscow, while the European Commission said that the European Union had prepared for this change and that most countries could adapt to it.
Moldova, which is not a member of the European Union, is already suffering from a shortage.
Russia can still send gas to Hungary, Turkey and Serbia via the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.
