Slovakia threatens to cut benefits to Ukrainian refugees in gas dispute

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as the dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies intensifies.

On January 1st, Kyiv closed an oil pipeline which for decades was used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.

Slovakia had been the main entry point and now the country risks losing millions of euros in transit fees.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated Last month there were 130,530 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia out of 6,813,900 worldwide.

Fico – who in December He made a surprise visit to Moscow to talk with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. – called Kyiv’s move “sabotage.”

The EU state’s first minister said he would propose stopping electricity exports to Ukraine and also “dramatically reduce” financial support to Ukrainians who have found refuge in Slovakia.

He said there was no risk of Slovakia suffering gas shortages as it had already made alternative arrangements.

But Fico added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to turn off the taps would deprive Slovakia of €500m (£415m; $518m) in transit fees from other countries.

He said his party was ready to discuss “disrupting electricity supplies” and “significantly reducing support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia.”

“The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is to renew transit or demand compensation mechanisms that replace losses in public finances,” he added.

Last month, Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin “finance the war and weaken Ukraine.”

“Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia’s attempts to cause more suffering to Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president had said.

Poland has offered to support kyiv should Slovakia cut off its electricity exports, supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants are regularly attacked by Russia.

Poland’s government called the cut “another victory” against Moscow, while the European Commission said the EU had prepared for the change and that most states could cope.

Moldova, which is not part of the EU, is already suffering from shortages.

Russia can still send gas to Hungary, Türkiye and Serbia via the TurkStream gas pipeline across the Black Sea.