Ukraine Gas Transit Row: EU Considers Slovak Compensation

A European Commission and Slovakia working group will assess the impact of a potential halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine, focusing on economic consequences and potential compensation for Slovakia, while notably excluding Ukraine from the discussions.

The European Commission confirmed the formation of a high-level working group with Slovakia on January 9th, following discussions between the Energy Commissioner and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The group aims to address concerns raised by Mr. Fico regarding the potential impact on energy markets should the gas transit agreement expire. According to European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the group, composed of senior officials from the Commission and Slovakia, is scheduled to convene in the coming weeks. Notably, Ukraine will not be represented in this working group. Radio Liberty has sought comment from the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and will publish it upon receipt.

Despite Ukraine’s exclusion from the working group, Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s representative to the EU, affirmed on January 9th that Kyiv maintains open communication channels with the European Commission on matters of mutual interest. Ms. Itkonen corroborated this statement, stating that ongoing contact is maintained between the European Commissioner and the Ukrainian Energy Minister, as well as at the technical level.

A question was raised regarding potential financial compensation from the EU to Slovakia, as requested by Prime Minister Fico, who claims losses of €500 million due to the lack of Russian gas transit fees. The European Commission neither confirmed nor denied this possibility, stating that the situation is still under evaluation. Ms. Itkonen explained that the working group’s primary objective is to assess the economic impact and establish a shared understanding of the situation, after which potential EU support mechanisms will be explored.  

The agreement to establish the working group followed consultations between Mr. Fico and European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen on January 9th. Following these discussions, Mr. Fico reiterated his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the cessation of Russian gas transit. He called for the resumption of supplies, issuing threats of retaliatory measures, including halting electricity exports to Ukraine, limiting aid to Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, and potentially vetoing EU decisions concerning Ukraine that require unanimous member state approval, such as the extension of anti-Russian sanctions due at the end of January.