MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky’s decisions concerning gas transit do harm to European Union eastern countries, deputy speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Andrej Danko told TASS.
"We consider this energy problem as political pressure. And it doesn’t matter where from and how we receive gas but what matters is how we want to resolve this problem. Zelensky has learnt to play a political theater and he abuses the issue of gas supplies. This is harmful for the entire European Union. But, in the long run, Western European countries are capitalizing on this because eastern countries of the European Union are losing their competitive capacities," he said.
According to Danko, his country’s authorities have to issue subsidies to lower energy prices. "And we are losing our competitiveness. And this is happening throughout the entire European Union," he added.
Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine was fully halted on January 1 due to Kiev’s refusal to extend the agreement. Slovakia was among the recipients of the Russian gas. Later, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the cancellation of the EU gas consultations, initially scheduled for January 7, due to the absence of the Ukrainian delegation. On January 9, the Slovak prime minister threatened to take tougher measures against Ukraine unless the gas transit issues are resolved. Later, Fico invited Zelensky to meet in Slovakia, somewhere near its border with Ukraine, but Zelensky suggested in response that he come to Kiev.