Meanwhile, Kiev could replace lost power with imports from Romania and Poland, Galushchenko said. Warsaw has already offered support in case of a disruption.
“If your goal is to make Ukraine suffer, it doesn’t work in this situation,” he said.
Russia-friendly Fico and Slovakia and Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, have been trying for months to persuade Kiev to renew the gas deal, which expires Tuesday night.
Gas supplies via Ukraine account for about 5% of the EU’s total imports, but both countries argue that ending the agreement would threaten supply security and have asked Brussels to support efforts to extend it. The committee repeatedly refused. .
Fico met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a surprise visit to Moscow over the Christmas holiday to discuss gas supplies, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Slovakian leader of undermining Europe. Central European companies also called for an extension to their gas contracts.
Still, experts have argued that there is little risk that Slovakia will face energy shortages if the deal closes as expected, and that Slovakia is more interested in retaining the profits it makes from transporting and reselling Russian supplies. Last week, a senior Ukrainian official estimated that Slovakia earns about $500 million a year from discounted gas supplies.
