Slovak Prime Minister Issues Warning About Potential EU Collapse
According to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Brussels' inability to tackle pressing matters such as energy security highlights its vulnerability. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The bloc could fall apart sooner than imagined due to incompetence in addressing urgent matters, Robert Fico has suggested.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticized the EU for what he views as its failure to manage economic repercussions affecting the bloc, asserting that its collapse is a possibility.
In a video message shared on Facebook on Wednesday, Fico warned about Ukraine’s recent decision to cease the transit of Russian gas to EU countries.
Ukraine declined to renew a contract with Russia’s Gazprom beyond 2024, effectively halting the flow of natural gas to Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia.
Fico accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of “sabotaging the financial interests of Slovakia and the EU,” claiming that this transit stoppage could spark an energy crisis across the bloc and lead to damages estimated at around €70 billion.
“Neither Slovakia nor the EU is at war, we have no reason to tolerate Zelensky’s adventures, especially looking at the aid Slovakia and the EU are providing to Ukraine,” he stated in the video, as reported by News Now agency.
He expressed further frustration with the EU's lack of action, announcing plans to travel to Brussels for discussions with the energy commissioner, asserting that he would do everything possible “to wake him up from his sweet sleep, because we have a ‘bloody’ serious problem.”
Fico met with the EU’s energy chief, Dan Jorgensen, on Thursday to address the repercussions of the halted gas flows on regional energy prices, with discussions agreed to continue.
In the video, the Slovak prime minister also dismissed accusations from Zelensky, the Slovak opposition, and certain Western officials suggesting he has ties to Moscow, reiterating that his primary focus is to protect Slovakia’s financial and national interests. He underscored that the EU’s attention should be on dealing with economic consequences rather than getting embroiled in unproductive political disputes.
“…Looking at the EU, I fear that it will fall apart sooner than we can imagine,” he emphasized.
Reflecting on his recent visit to Moscow, Fico noted that the reason for his trip was the gas transit blockade imposed by Ukraine.
“I needed to secure at least gas for Slovakia’s domestic consumption, which we have secured, even without increasing gas prices,” he remarked, confirming Moscow’s assurance of ongoing energy supply via the TurkStream pipeline.
Ukraine’s cessation of Russian pipeline gas has already triggered a hike in European energy prices, which recently hit €50 per megawatt hour for the first time in over a year. This prompted an immediate appeal from Italy to lengthen the EU’s emergency gas price cap to avert an energy price crisis throughout the bloc.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticized the EU for what he views as its failure to manage economic repercussions affecting the bloc, asserting that its collapse is a possibility.
In a video message shared on Facebook on Wednesday, Fico warned about Ukraine’s recent decision to cease the transit of Russian gas to EU countries.
Ukraine declined to renew a contract with Russia’s Gazprom beyond 2024, effectively halting the flow of natural gas to Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia.
Fico accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of “sabotaging the financial interests of Slovakia and the EU,” claiming that this transit stoppage could spark an energy crisis across the bloc and lead to damages estimated at around €70 billion.
“Neither Slovakia nor the EU is at war, we have no reason to tolerate Zelensky’s adventures, especially looking at the aid Slovakia and the EU are providing to Ukraine,” he stated in the video, as reported by News Now agency.
He expressed further frustration with the EU's lack of action, announcing plans to travel to Brussels for discussions with the energy commissioner, asserting that he would do everything possible “to wake him up from his sweet sleep, because we have a ‘bloody’ serious problem.”
Fico met with the EU’s energy chief, Dan Jorgensen, on Thursday to address the repercussions of the halted gas flows on regional energy prices, with discussions agreed to continue.
In the video, the Slovak prime minister also dismissed accusations from Zelensky, the Slovak opposition, and certain Western officials suggesting he has ties to Moscow, reiterating that his primary focus is to protect Slovakia’s financial and national interests. He underscored that the EU’s attention should be on dealing with economic consequences rather than getting embroiled in unproductive political disputes.
“…Looking at the EU, I fear that it will fall apart sooner than we can imagine,” he emphasized.
Reflecting on his recent visit to Moscow, Fico noted that the reason for his trip was the gas transit blockade imposed by Ukraine.
“I needed to secure at least gas for Slovakia’s domestic consumption, which we have secured, even without increasing gas prices,” he remarked, confirming Moscow’s assurance of ongoing energy supply via the TurkStream pipeline.
Ukraine’s cessation of Russian pipeline gas has already triggered a hike in European energy prices, which recently hit €50 per megawatt hour for the first time in over a year. This prompted an immediate appeal from Italy to lengthen the EU’s emergency gas price cap to avert an energy price crisis throughout the bloc.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
