Slovakia's coalition government will discuss retaliatory measures to take against Ukraine after it halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory to Slovakia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.

Despite EU efforts to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Slovakia remains reliant on Russian gas under a long-term contract with Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Switching to alternative supply routes could cost Slovakia an additional €220 million ($229 million) in transit fees.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko also says Kyiv can buy electricity from Romania and Poland if it loses supplies from Bratislava.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico recent threats to cut off Ukraine's emergency power supply in the winter, saying that it appears he has been acting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that his government will discuss countermeasures in response to Ukraine's cessation of Russian gas transit. Source: Fico in his address on Facebook, reported by European Pravda Details: Fico described the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia as "Zelenskyy's sabotage",

Slovakia will consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting back-up electricity supplies after Jan. 1 if Kyiv, as expected, stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

Poland is prepared to step up electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico follows through on his threat to cut off back-up power supplies to the war-torn country, a senior official said on Sunday.

Leaders of the two countries have exchanged accusations and threats ahead of an anticipated halt to Russian gas flows via Ukraine

Even as Russian troops and tanks moved into Ukraine in February 2022, Russian natural gas kept flowing through the country’s pipeline network — set up when Ukraine and Russia were both part of the Soviet Union — to Europe,

On New Year's Day, the transfer of Russian gas through Ukraine has ended after Kyiv had refused to extend a long-running contract due to Russia's war against the country.