Poland is willing to increase electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico follows through on his threat to cut off electricity to the war-torn country, a senior official said on Sunday.
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(Bloomberg) — 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.
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The Polish government stands ready to boost domestic power production to compensate for any imbalances that Ukraine’s strained system would suffer in the event of a Slovak move, according to the official, who asked not to be identified as the talks are private.
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Warsaw’s assurances come amid a growing row over the future of gas transit through Ukraine. Fico made the threat two days ago, when he said Slovakia would stop supplying Ukraine with urgently needed electricity during a blackout, if necessary. Nearly three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bratislava still relies on cheap gas from Gazprom PJSC, undermining European Union pressure to reduce reliance on Russian energy.
The watch coincides with the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe, which is scheduled to end in Dec. 31 when the current plan expires. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly said that he will not allow gas that benefits the Kremlin’s military machine to pass through his country from January, he has signaled that he can transport fuel from countries other than Russia if the European Commission so requests. .
The commission, which before the war helped broker transit agreements between Kyiv and Moscow, is sitting out the talks. Instead, it emphasized that other sources are available and that gas storage levels in the region are high.
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While the EU aims to end oil imports from Russia by 2027, gas has not been part of the sanctions the bloc has taken against Moscow since the February 2022 attack. That means companies are still allowed to finalize contracts and continue buying from other countries if those deals comply with existing EU rules. .
Energy analysts have pointed out that, even if an agreement is reached to continue transit through Ukraine, it will be temporary as the commission prepares a roadmap to end the purchase of energy from Russia. That strategy will be launched in February.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since March, destroying nearly half of its power generation capacity and causing blackouts across the country. Ukraine relies heavily on imports, including from Slovakia.
Slovakia continues to receive Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine. Kyiv could potentially freeze those supplies if Slovakia halts electricity exports, a separate person familiar with the situation said on Saturday.
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