BRATISLAVA, December 29. /TASS/. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent an open letter to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, requesting them to urgently address Ukraine's decision to cease gas transit to Europe, as outlined in the document which Fico posted on his Facebook page (banned in Russia; owned by Meta Corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia).
"I am convinced that it is in the interest of all EU citizens for European efforts to support Ukraine to be rational and not lead to self-destructive and highly damaging actions for the EU," Fico said. "Therefore, I ask you, on behalf of all EU citizens, to give this unprecedented situation the urgent attention it warrants," the statement reads.
The Slovak PM added that "Vladimir Zelensky unilaterally, without any consultation with EU bodies or concerned member states, announced that, starting January 1, 2025, Ukraine will no longer provide gas transit through its territory to Slovakia and other customers in Western Europe."
Fico stated that the EU's governing bodies had not adequately evaluated the negative consequences of halting gas transit through Ukraine. He predicted an increase in gas prices across Europe. In his assessment, stopping the transportation of this energy resource would harm the EU more than it would affect Russia.
Additionally, Ukraine may face long-term consequences. "It is highly likely that the ability to import gas from Europe to Ukraine will disappear, forcing Ukraine to rely solely on its own gas production," Fico predicted.