Prime Minister Robert Fico has asked the Slovak state Electricity Transmission System company (SEPS) to cut emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to the halted oil flow via the Russian Druzhba pipeline.

The Druzhba pipeline was damaged by Russian military operations in eastern Ukraine, causing a halt at the end of January, but Fico has accused Ukraine of dragging out efforts to put the pipeline back into operation, and even cast doubt on who is responsible for the damage.

“Before adopting today’s first reciprocal measure against Ukraine in response to enemy acts of President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy I was interested in a telephone conversation with the president of Ukraine to obtain an answer on when and whether oil supplies to Ukraine would be renewed,” Fico said in a video statement posted on his Facebook page.

He added that “we received information that Ukrainian president is ready to talk only after February 25 of this year” and that “considering the serious situation and the declared oil emergency in Slovakia we are forced to adopt the first reciprocal measure”.

Fico also threatened Ukraine with additional measures without specifying these, the Czech Press Agency highlighted. 

Last week, Slovakia’s left-right cabinet declared an oil emergency and the country’s key refinery, Hungarian MOL-owned Slovnaft which remains dependent on Russian oil, cut fuel exports to Ukraine to keep its products for the domestic market.

The Slovak cabinet also agreed to provide Slovnaft with a loan of up to 250,000 tonnes from the state reserves in exchange for a bank guarantee.

Populist Fico and his cabinet stepped up their rhetoric against Ukraine in connection with the disruption after the opposition parties in Slovakia began to criticise the government’s inaction, suggesting the Kremlin-leaning Fico is reluctant to criticise Russia for its attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

In his Facebook video post announcing the cutting of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, Fico made it clear he is aware of the critical situation of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which is suffering daily heavy attacks from the Russian side, including civilian casualties.   

“Just in January 2026 twice as many of such emergency supplies were needed to stabilise the Ukrainian energy grid than for the whole year 2025,” Fico stated on Facebook.

SEPS previously concluded an agreement with its Ukrainian counterpart Ukrenerho to deliver emergency electricity supplies.

Ukrenerho stated there have been “no discussions taking place about curtailing commercial imports of electricity energy from Slovakia” taking place.

“Ukraine last asked for emergency help in Slovakia more than a month ago and only in a very limited amount,” Ukrenerho stated on its Facebook social media profile shared by the Slovak daily SME, and also noted that “emergency aid from the Slovak direction arrived sporadically”.

Fico and his cabinet adopted a Kremlin-pleasing stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine after returning to power in 2023. Fico also opposed the EU's phase out or Russian energy imports, arguing that the Slovak gas transmission utility Eustream would lose income from gas transit fees. Czech energy and media oligarch Daniel Křetínský’s EPH has a 49% stake and managerial control in Eustream, while Slovakia retains 51%.