Arya News - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he wanted to discuss the situation around the Druzhba oil pipeline with Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Ukrainian side was only ready to talk after February 25.
"I was interested in speaking with the Ukrainian president by phone and getting an answer to the question of when and whether oil supplies to Slovakia would be restored. We received a message that the Ukrainian president was ready to talk after February 25," Fico said in a video message on Monday. Fico noted Slovakia has information that the Druzhba pipeline is operational, but the Ukrainian side, in turn, has not allowed the Slovak ambassador to Ukraine to visit the part of the infrastructure that is allegedly damaged. "Stopping the oil flow is a purely political decision aimed at blackmailing Slovakia in international matters related to the war in Ukraine. Slovakia is an independent state and will not allow itself to be blackmailed," Fico added. On February 13, the Slovak Economy Ministry announced that oil supplies to the republic via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended. The ministry expected them to resume in the coming days, but it did not happen. On February 18, the Slovak government declared a crisis situation due to oil shortages, deciding to allocate up to 250,000 tonnes of oil from state reserves to the Slovnaft refinery. Fico said that Slovnaft would halt exports of petroleum products, including diesel fuel, to Ukraine, focusing all production on the local market. Later, Fico said that Slovakia will halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine starting Monday, as oil flow from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline has not resumed yet.