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Zelenskiy says Ukraine will respond aggressively to Russian energy attacks after meeting Fico in Slovakia

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that Ukraine will continue to respond to Russian aggressions against its energy infrastructure despite criticisms from Slovakia and Hungary who have experienced Russian oil supply interruptions.

Zelenskiy said this after his first high-level meeting with Slovak Premier Robert Fico, with whom he had clashed in the past over Russian energy supplies.

Slovakia and Hungary have continued to purchase Russian oil and gas, even though other European Union nations cut ties with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.

The EU invests in energy routes. Slovakia and Hungary, however, say that alternative routes are prone to bottlenecks and more expensive.

Recent weeks have seen a disruption in oil shipments between the two countries due to Ukrainian attacks against the Druzhba Pipeline, which runs through Ukraine and Russia before reaching Slovakia.

Zelenskiy, speaking at a press conference held in conjunction with Fico, said that Ukraine would continue to respond to Russian attacks against its energy infrastructure. He was referring to the years-long Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy stations and other infrastructure.

But we want to see this war end. "But no one will just tolerate it and sit in darkness."

Fico says that military attacks on legitimate targets harm Slovakia

Fico stated that we should consider the interests of countries who are also part of the international network of energy.

Zelenskiy said Kyiv was open to providing Slovakia with gas and oil, as long as it did not come from Russia.

Fico criticised Ukraine's failure to extend the transit of Russian Gas after Kyiv’s contract with Russia ended at the end 2024. Gazprom, a Russian energy company, has since rerouted their supplies to Slovakia as part of a long-term agreement.

Fico also strongly opposed a plan being discussed by the EU to phase out Russian imports of energy and temporarily delayed the bloc's final sanctions package against Russia in order to demand guarantees for damages Slovakia might face as a result of the cutoff.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, told European leaders on Thursday that Europe should stop buying Russian crude oil because it is funding Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Fico said that, despite the differences between Slovakia and Ukraine, there is still a lot of room for cooperation in many areas including energy. He expressed his hope that Ukraine will find security guarantees and offered to use Slovakia's experiences to assist Ukraine in its European Union entry negotiations.

Fico stated that despite our differing views on certain issues, we would like to see "good, friendly neighbourly relationships, just peace and the fastest possible ceasefire." (Reporting and editing by Philippa Fetcher, Jason Hovet Yuliia Dsa, Max Hunder, Jan Lopatka)

(source: Reuters)