Slovakia’s leader has blasted “nonsensical geopolitical goals” within the bloc and warned of severe impacts on smaller nations
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed deep concern over the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, emphasizing its severe repercussions for Slovakia and the broader European Union in a speech given for New Year’s Day. The halt in gas flows, effective January 1, 2025, follows Ukraine’s decision not to renew its transit agreement with Russia’s Gazprom.
In a video published on Wednesday, Fico criticized the dominance of “selfish national interests” and “nonsensical geopolitical goals” within the EU and suggested that the needs of smaller nations like Slovakia are being overlooked.
“In world politics, it absolutely holds true that it does not matter whether the elephants love or fight each other. The grass always suffers,” Fico said. “I do not wish for Slovakia to be such grass, as we see these days with the halt of gas transit through Ukraine, which will have drastic impacts on all of us in the European Union, but not on the Russian Federation.”
He pledged to pursue a globally-engaged foreign policy in 2025 focused on “non-interference in the internal affairs of others” and prioritizing Slovak national interests.
A pipeline running through Ukraine provides Russian gas to Slovakia, which had anticipated a continued supply and urged Ukraine to renew the transit agreement. Following Kiev’s decision not to, Fico threatened last week to cut electricity supplies to Ukraine.
The European Commission has sought to downplay the impact of the gas deal ending, asserting that the EU’s gas infrastructure is sufficiently flexible to accommodate non-Russian gas supplies via alternative routes. Despite these assurances, the sudden halt has led to a surge in gas prices in Europe, reaching €50 per megawatt hour for the first time in over a year.
