Fico bragged about Putin's gas guarantees for Slovakia

Fico claims that Putin "guaranteed" that Russia would "fulfill its obligations" regarding the supply of Russian gas to Slovakia after the expiration of the contract for transit through Ukraine.

I spoke with Putin about the contract between us and Gazprom, which says that they must somehow deliver gas to us. We can push something through South Stream, but for now we have storage, Slovak consumption is ensured... President Putin guaranteed that they will fulfill their obligations.

Robert Fico

Prime Minister of Slovakia

He added that some of the gas could be supplied through Western Europe (pipeline connections of Slovakia with the gas networks of neighboring countries in Central and Western Europe).

According to Fico, Europe "suffered multi-billion" losses due to the increase in gas prices, which was caused by the absence of about 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas passing through Ukraine in 2024.

Fico's meeting with Putin

On December 22, 2024, Fico met with Putin. He stated that he traveled to Moscow in response to the suspension of Russian gas transit to Slovakia through the territory of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the meeting between Fico and Putin in Moscow and stated that Bratislava pays for Russia's "discounts" with sovereignty or shadow schemes.

On the morning of January 1, Ukraine stopped the transportation of Russian natural gas through its own gas transportation system.

On January 2, Fico began threatening Ukraine with the cessation of electricity supplies and a significant reduction in subsidies for Ukrainians residing in the Slovak Republic.