Slovakia halts emergency power supplies to Ukraine over oil pipeline dispute
Slovakia will halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until Kyiv restores the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.
Al Jazeera reported that Fico made the announcement after giving Ukraine a two-day ultimatum to reopen the Soviet-era pipeline. He said that if the Ukrainian side asked for help stabilizing its power grid, Slovakia would no longer provide emergency assistance. The move turns a dispute over oil transit into a broader energy confrontation.
The immediate trigger is the interruption of Russian crude flows to Slovakia through Ukraine. Fico said he would lift the stoppage as soon as the transit is restored, and added that further reciprocal steps could follow if it is not. He also suggested that Slovakia may reconsider its positions on Ukraine’s EU membership, showing that the dispute now extends beyond energy supply into political leverage.
Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo said it had not been officially informed but said the decision would not affect the unified power system. That is an important reassurance, because it suggests the practical impact on Ukraine’s electricity network may be limited even if the diplomatic message is strong.
The background is the broader European energy reset after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU banned most Russian oil imports in 2022, but exempted the Druzhba pipeline to allow landlocked Central European countries time to adjust. Slovakia and Hungary remain dependent on that route, which is why the outage has become such a sensitive political issue.
Fico accused Kyiv of making a purely political decision aimed at blackmailing Slovakia over its positions on the war. Ukraine, for its part, says it is repairing pipeline damage caused by a Russian drone strike. The packet does not resolve that dispute, but it makes clear that both sides blame each other for the prolonged cutoff.
The story also reflects the wider split inside Europe over Ukraine support. Hungary vetoed new sanctions on Russia, and both Hungary and Slovakia have linked energy policy to broader negotiations over aid and sanctions. That makes Fico’s move part of a larger pattern of using energy pressure to force concessions.
For the moment, the confirmed development is straightforward: Slovakia has cut emergency electricity supplies as leverage in a pipeline dispute. The practical effect on Ukraine may be limited, but the political signal is strong, and it adds another layer of friction to an already bitter regional confrontation.
