Slovak Prime Minister Signals Impending EU Collapse

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico highlights Brussels' vulnerability due to its inability to tackle pressing matters such as energy security. Read Full Article at RT.com

Slovak Prime Minister Signals Impending EU Collapse
The bloc may disintegrate sooner than expected due to incompetence in handling pressing issues, suggested Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Fico criticized the EU for what he perceives as its failure to manage the economic repercussions throughout the bloc and raised alarms about its potential collapse. His comments came in a video message shared on Facebook, addressing Ukraine's recent decision to cease the transit of Russian gas.

Ukraine has opted not to renew its contract with Russia’s Gazprom beyond 2024, which effectively halts the flow of natural gas to several EU member states that rely on it, including Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia.

In his message, Fico accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of “sabotaging the financial interests of Slovakia and the EU,” asserting that this transit halt might lead to an energy crisis within the bloc and cause damages worth approximately €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,” Fico stated in the video, as reported by News Now agency.

Moreover, he expressed disappointment regarding the EU's lack of proactive measures, announcing his plans to travel to Brussels to meet with the energy commissioner. He indicated his determination to “wake him up from his sweet sleep, because we have a ‘bloody’ serious problem.”

On Thursday, Fico met with the EU’s energy chief, Dan Jorgensen, to discuss the potential impact of the cessation of gas flows on energy prices in the region. Reports indicate that discussions on the issue will continue.

In the video, Fico also dismissed accusations from Zelensky, the Slovak opposition, and various Western officials alleging that he is aligned with Moscow. He stated that his primary objective is to protect Slovakia’s financial and national interests, emphasizing that the EU should concentrate on confronting the economic consequences rather than engaging in unnecessary political discussions.

“…Looking at the EU, I fear that it will fall apart sooner than we can imagine,” he asserted.

Reflecting on his recent visit to Moscow, Fico revealed that the gas transit blockage by Ukraine prompted his trip.

“I needed to secure at least gas for Slovakia’s domestic consumption, which we have secured, even without increasing gas prices,” he noted, confirming Moscow’s commitment to maintaining energy supplies via the TurkStream pipeline.

The cessation of Russian pipeline gas supplies by Ukraine has already resulted in a spike in European energy prices, which hit €50 per megawatt hour for the first time in over a year. This development triggered an immediate call from Italy to extend the EU’s emergency gas price cap to avert a potential energy price crisis across the bloc.

Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News