In his letter to the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission (EC), Slovak PM Robert Fico detailed the negative impacts of the Ukrainian president’s unilateral decision on the EU, and he called on EU leaders to urgently focus extraordinary attention on the unprecedented situation resulting from the move.
In his letter, published in full by Slovakia's public news agency TASR, Mr. Fico emphasized the unilateral nature of the decision. He pointed out that the EC, in a letter sent this December to Slovakia's deputy prime minister, clearly stated that no EU regulation prohibits agreements on the transit of Russian gas.
Regarding President Zelensky’s decision, Mr. Fico noted that Slovak authorities had made proposals to Ukrainian partners to transport non-Russian gas, adding however, that these proposals were also rejected by Mr. Zelensky.
Mr. Fico described the impact of the Ukrainian president’s decision as unquestionably detrimental to the competitiveness of EU member states.
Citing an impact study commissioned by the Slovak government from Slovak Gas Industries (SPP), Mr. Fico wrote that halting Ukrainian gas transit would raise the price of gas by 10 to 12 euros per megawatt-hour on benchmark Dutch and German exchanges.
According to their calculations, this would directly result in additional annual expenses of 40-50 billion euros for EU member states, with secondary effects on electricity prices adding another 60-70 billion euros. Mr. Fico also underlined that if Ukrainian gas transit continued, Russia would earn an estimated maximum of 2 billion euros over the same period.
In his letter, PM Fico highlighted that he was unaware whether the European Commission’s “superficial” approach to the issue was due to a lack of relevant analyses or whether it stemmed from making decisions solely based on ideological considerations. However, he emphasized that the economic impact of President Zelensky’s decision on European economies has been undoubtedly underestimated.
The Slovak prime minister emphasized that quietly accepting President Zelensky’s unilateral decision would be irrational and wrong, and would inevitably lead to tensions and retaliatory measures. He is convinced, he added, that it's in the interest of the entire EU population for Ukraine’s European support to be pursued rationally, not through self-destructive gestures that would severely harm the EU.
Cover photo: Slovak PM Robert Fico (Photo: AFP)
