On Sunday, Slovakia’s Robert Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss the renewal of a gas transit deal between Russia and Ukraine, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

After the meeting, Fico said that Moscow was “ready” to keep gas supplies flowing and blamed Ukraine—which has decided not to renew its contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom—for taking a tough stand.

Zelenskyy responded on social media, alleging that Slovakia’s energy deals, worth $1 billion annually, benefit Russia while undermining European efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

“Such discounts are not free—payments to Russia are made through sovereignty or murky schemes,” Zelenskyy posted on X.

Zelenskyy branded Fico’s policies “immoral,” saying that Ukraine is “losing people as a result of the war that Putin started.”

He also claimed that Russian and Slovakian leaders avoided making public statements because they feared a backlash.

"They are afraid of the public's reaction," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president ended his post with three pointed questions: “Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?”

Slovakia is among the countries that could be most affected by the Ukrainian decision to no longer allow Gazprom to export Russian natural gas to Central Europe through a pipeline on Ukraine’s territory.

EU countries such as Hungary and Austria have called for the decision to be reversed, while Moldova has declared a state of emergency.

Zelenskyy has floated a compromise whereby the pipeline could still be used as long as payments for Russian gas are delayed until after the armed conflict between Kyiv and Moscow comes to an end.