Slovakia has threatened to cut electricity supplies to Ukraine in retaliation for Kyiv ending an agreement for the transit of Russian gas. 

The source said: “Indeed, given the continued and persistent attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s strategic energy infrastructure, Ukraine is in a very difficult situation. Polish electricity and gas transmission system operators are prepared to provide emergency assistance to Ukraine, if needed.”  

A persistent Russian policy of bombarding Ukraine’s power infrastructure has reduced the country’s energy production capabilities by half since March, causing frequent blackouts and forcing Kyiv to increasingly rely on importing electricity from the EU, including Slovakia. 

But in late December, Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, said: "After January 1, we will assess the situation and the possibilities of reciprocal measures against Ukraine."

He added in a video posted on Facebook. "If it is unavoidable, we will halt the electricity supplies that Ukraine needs during grid outages. Or we will agree on a different course of action." 

The threat came less than a week after Fico met in Moscow Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Since then, Russian forces have doubled down on the targeting of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including its power grid. 

Fico’s ultimatum rings hollow however, according to Aura Sabadus, an energy journalist and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. 

“Since Ukraine is part of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity [ENTSO-E], an integrated system of 36 countries, his unprecedented threat is directed not only against Ukraine but also against all other member countries,” she wrote in a blog.  

“According to ENTSO-E policy, no member country can cut supplies without providing proof of security of supply risks, while decisions to do so need to be discussed and approved by the ENTSO-E board," Sabadus wrote. “With 77% of Slovak gas storage facilities full at the end of December 2024, what security of supply risks could Fico possibly invoke?”