Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in an open letter to the European Union leadership, criticized the tacit acceptance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to stop Russian gas transit starting January 1, describing it as “absolutely irrational and wrong.” He warned that the move could result in “tensions and reciprocal measures.”
Fico urged European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to address this “unprecedented situation” with urgency, emphasizing its impact not only on Slovakia but on the entire EU, according to the Slovak portal Standard.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico emphasized that European efforts to support Ukraine must be rational and avoid “self-destructive and extremely harmful gestures” that negatively impact Europe.
He recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, without open consultation with EU authorities or the concerned member states, announced that Ukraine would cease gas transit through its territory to Slovakia and other Western European users after January 1, 2025.
Fico criticized the unilateral nature of this decision, pointing out that the European Commission, in a letter sent this December to Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Sakova, explicitly stated that EU law does not currently prohibit contracts for the supply or transit of Russian gas. He also noted that sanctions and other EU legal provisions do not restrict the import of Russian gas.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico highlighted that European leaders offered Ukraine alternative gas transit options besides the Russian route, but “Volodymyr Zelensky rejected them as well.”
In his letter, Fico explained that he addressed EU leaders not only on behalf of Slovakia, facing “significant financial damage,” but also as the leader of a country that “actively participates in vital discussions to tackle the EU’s declining competitiveness compared to other regions of the world.”
Fico warned that the Ukrainian President’s unilateral decision would severely undermine joint European efforts to remain competitive globally. He emphasized that halting gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia would cost European citizens, businesses, and infrastructure tens of billions of euros annually.
He estimated that the EU would face substantial financial losses amounting to tens of billions, while the Russian Federation’s losses would total around two billion euros—approximately three percent of the total losses for the 27 EU member states. According to Fico, Russia could easily redirect such a small gas volume to other markets, potentially reducing its losses to “close to zero.”
