{"id":40142,"date":"2025-01-02T20:27:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T01:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/slovakia-threatens-to-cut-benefit-for-ukrainians\/02\/01\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-01-02T20:27:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T01:27:49","slug":"slovakia-threatens-to-cut-benefit-for-ukrainians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/slovakia-threatens-to-cut-benefit-for-ukrainians\/02\/01\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Slovakia threatens to cut benefit for Ukrainians"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates.<\/p>\n

On 1 January, Kyiv shut off a pipeline<\/a> that for decades was used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.<\/p>\n

Slovakia had been the main entry point and the country now stands to lose millions of euros in transit fees.<\/p>\n

The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated<\/a> last month that there were 130,530 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia out of 6,813,900 globally.<\/p>\n

Fico – who in December made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin<\/a> – described Kyiv’s move as “sabotage”.<\/p>\n

The prime minister of the EU state said he would propose halting electricity exports to Ukraine and also “sharply reducing” financial support for Ukrainians who have found shelter in Slovakia.<\/p>\n

He said there was no risk of Slovakia itself suffering from gas shortages, as it had already made alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n

But Fico added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to turn off the taps would deprive Slovakia of 500m euros (\u00a3415m; $518m) in transit fees from other countries.<\/p>\n

He said his party was ready to debate “halting supplies of electricity” and the “significant lowering of support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia”.<\/p>\n

“The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is renewal of transit or demanding compensation mechanisms that will replace the loss in public finances,” he added.<\/p>\n

Last month Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin to “fund the war and weaken Ukraine”.<\/p>\n

“Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia’s attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president had said.<\/p>\n

Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports – supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack from Russia.<\/p>\n

Poland’s government called the cut-off “another victory” against Moscow while the European Commission said the EU had prepared for the change and most states could cope.<\/p>\n

Moldova, which is not in the EU, is already suffering shortages.<\/p>\n

Russia can still send gas to Hungary, Turkey and Serbia through the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.<\/p>\n

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