The stop of gas deliveries by Ukraine had triggered a violent dispute with the Slovak government. Now Russian gas flows into Slovakia again – past Ukraine.
After the transit stop through Ukraine, Slovakia again moves gas from Russia. As the state Slovak gas supplier SPP announced, the gas is now transported via Ukraine via Turkey and Hungary. SPP wants to comply with the gas supply contract that is still running until 2034 with the Russian group Gazprom despite political concerns, said SPP boss Vojtech Ferencz journalists in Bratislava.
The Turkstream pipeline runs from the Russian city of Anapa through the Black Sea to Kiyiköy in the northwest of Türkiye. From there, several underground lines go off – one leads to Hungary. Slovakia receives the gas over the neighboring country, the SPP spokesman said without giving any details.
However, an SPP manager admitted that Turkstream's capacities, through which other European countries are also supplied with gas, were not sufficient to compensate for the previous deliveries of Russian gas via Ukraine. One will therefore continue to look for additional alternatives.
Ukraine has let the contract expire
The transit contract for Russian natural gas through Ukraine had expired at the turn of the year because Ukraine had no longer extended it. Kiev wanted to prevent Russia from helping to get income from gas sale.
However, EU country Slovakia is as dependent on Russian gas like hardly any other country in Europe and protested violently against the transit stop. Bratislava referred to the EU Association Treaty with Ukraine, which despite the war provides for gas deliveries from Russia to EU countries in order to preserve it from energy shortages.
Sharp criticism of Fico's Moscow trip
In order to continue to secure Russian gas deliveries, the Slovak Minister of Economic Affairs Denisa Sakova had traveled twice to the Gazprom seat in St. Petersburg at the end of the year.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, in turn, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Fico's Moscow trip triggered a wave of mass protests in several cities in Slovakia. This Friday again tens of thousands of demonstrations against Fico are expected.
