Slovakia had issued a two-day ultimatum to Ukraine to reopen the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline in order that it might obtain Russian oil deliveries.
Printed On 23 Feb 2026
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated his nation will halt emergency electrical energy provides to Ukraine till Kyiv reopens a key pipeline transporting Russian oil to Slovakia, making good on an ultimatum he issued to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Fico’s announcement on Monday got here two days after he warned Zelenskyy on social media that he would ask state-owned firm SEPS to halt emergency provides of electrical energy if flows of Russian crude oil through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline crossing Ukraine didn’t resume.
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“As of at present, if the Ukrainian aspect turns to Slovakia with a request for help in stabilising the Ukrainian power grid, such help won’t be offered,” Fico stated in a video on his Fb web page.
Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo stated in a press release that it had not been formally knowledgeable but, however that it might “not have an effect on the scenario within the unified energy system of Ukraine”.
“The final time Ukraine requested emergency help from Slovakia was over a month in the past and in a really restricted quantity,” it stated.
Fico stated the stoppage could be lifted “as quickly because the transit of oil to Slovakia is restored”.
“In any other case, we’ll take additional reciprocal steps,” he stated, including his nation would additionally rethink “its beforehand constructive positions on Ukraine’s EU membership”.
He stated the stalled oil provide was a “purely political choice geared toward blackmailing Slovakia over its worldwide positions on the battle in Ukraine”.
Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary, which have each remained depending on Russian oil for the reason that Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine virtually 4 years in the past, have grow to be more and more vocal in demanding that Kyiv resume deliveries by way of the Druzhba pipeline, which was shut down after what Ukraine stated was a Russian drone strike hit infrastructure in late January.
Ukraine says it’s fixing the harm on the pipeline, which nonetheless carries Russian oil over Ukrainian territory to Europe, as quick as it may possibly.
Slovakia and Hungary say Ukraine is guilty for the extended outage and have declared emergencies over the reduce in oil deliveries.
The EU imposed a ban on most oil imports from Russia in 2022, however the Druzhba pipeline was exempted to present landlocked Central European nations time to search out different oil provides.
In the meantime, the European Union didn’t agree on new sanctions on Russia for the fourth anniversary of Europe’s greatest battle since World Struggle II, after Hungary vetoed the transfer.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban – the friendliest EU chief to the Kremlin – is stalling the sanctions and a 90-billion-euro ($106bn) EU mortgage to Ukraine till Kyiv reopens the oil pipeline.
Fico additionally stated he has refused to “contain the Slovak Republic” within the newest EU mortgage on account of Zelenskyy’s “unacceptable behaviour”, alluding to Ukraine’s earlier halting of Russian gas provides after a five-year-old transit settlement expired on January 1, 2025, which Fico claimed is costing Slovakia “damages of 500 million [euros; $590m] per yr”.
Hungary and Slovakia have accounted for 68 % of Ukraine’s imported energy this month, based on Kyiv-based consultancy ExPro. It was not instantly clear if emergency electrical energy provides have been included in that determine.
