Serbian President Announces Putin’s Meeting With EU Country Leader on Monday
Aleksandar Vucic has stated that the Prime Minister of Slovakia plans to visit Russia, coinciding with Serbia's impending loss of a crucial gas supplier. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has indicated that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. This meeting comes as Belgrade prepares for challenges related to gas supplies, particularly in light of anticipated US sanctions against Naftne Industrije Srbije, the country’s leading oil and gas company.
“As I learned unofficially, and when I say unofficially, as I said about the sanctions against NIS, it is absolutely certain, on Monday Robert Fico will go to Putin, as the leader of a European Union country,” Vucic stated during an interview with Serbian Happy TV on Friday, according to Euronews Serbia.
Vucic also noted that gas supplies from Russia via Ukraine will cease starting January 1, 2025. This development poses significant implications for European energy security and Serbia's ability to meet winter demand. He mentioned that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal had signed the relevant order on Friday and highlighted that US sanctions against NIS could potentially take effect on the same date.
The expiration of a transit agreement between Moscow and Kiev, which enables the transport of Russian gas to the EU, has raised alarms among countries like Slovakia that depend on this supply route.
Fico warned on Friday that Slovakia is weighing possible countermeasures against Ukraine due to its decision to halt the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia. "Relations between the two nations cannot be a one-way street,” he stated, adding, “I cannot completely rule out reciprocal measures.” Fico mentioned that his government would evaluate its options over the upcoming week.
In his interview, Vucic remarked that a meeting between Putin and Fico “will provoke a reaction from other European leaders from the EU, and you can see how complicated things are.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
“As I learned unofficially, and when I say unofficially, as I said about the sanctions against NIS, it is absolutely certain, on Monday Robert Fico will go to Putin, as the leader of a European Union country,” Vucic stated during an interview with Serbian Happy TV on Friday, according to Euronews Serbia.
Vucic also noted that gas supplies from Russia via Ukraine will cease starting January 1, 2025. This development poses significant implications for European energy security and Serbia's ability to meet winter demand. He mentioned that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal had signed the relevant order on Friday and highlighted that US sanctions against NIS could potentially take effect on the same date.
The expiration of a transit agreement between Moscow and Kiev, which enables the transport of Russian gas to the EU, has raised alarms among countries like Slovakia that depend on this supply route.
Fico warned on Friday that Slovakia is weighing possible countermeasures against Ukraine due to its decision to halt the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia. "Relations between the two nations cannot be a one-way street,” he stated, adding, “I cannot completely rule out reciprocal measures.” Fico mentioned that his government would evaluate its options over the upcoming week.
In his interview, Vucic remarked that a meeting between Putin and Fico “will provoke a reaction from other European leaders from the EU, and you can see how complicated things are.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
