Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Visit Putin in Russia Next Week, Says Serbian President
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico will travel to Moscow next week to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about gas supplies. This was announced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on December 20.
Fico is expected to meet with Putin on Monday as the leader of a European Union country. The visit has caused concern among other EU leaders, according to Vucic.
The issue at hand is Ukraine’s refusal to extend a contract allowing Russian gas to be transported through its territory. The current agreement expires on December 31.
Slovakia and Hungary have expressed concerns about the impact of this decision on their own energy supplies. Slovakia has a long-term contract with Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, which it estimates will cost an additional €220 million ($228.73 million) to replace if gas transit through Ukraine is halted.
Ukraine made the decision not to extend the agreement as part of its efforts to cut ties with Russia following the country’s invasion. The move has sparked concerns about a looming gas crisis in several EU countries, including Slovakia and Hungary.
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