Poland is ready to increase electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico follows through on his threat to cut backup power supplies to the war-torn country, a senior official said on Sunday.
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(Bloomberg) — Poland is ready to increase electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico follows through on his threat to cut off backup power supplies to the war-torn country, a senior official said Sunday.
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The Polish government stands ready to boost domestic energy production to compensate for any imbalance the tense Ukrainian regime might suffer if Slovakia moves, according to the official, who requested anonymity because the talks are private.
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Warsaw’s assertions come amid an escalating dispute over the future of gas transportation through Ukraine. Fico made this threat two days ago, when he said that Slovakia would stop supplying Ukraine with urgently needed electricity during a grid outage, if necessary. Nearly three years after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Bratislava remains dependent on cheap gas from Gazprom, undermining efforts by the European Union to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
The clock is ticking on Russian gas flows through Ukraine to Europe, which are scheduled to end on December 31 when the current arrangement expires. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that he will not allow gas that benefits the Kremlin’s war machine to pass through his country from January, he has indicated that he would be open to transporting fuel from countries other than Russia if the European Commission requests it. .
The Commission, which before the war helped broker transit agreements between Kiev and Moscow, is staying away from the negotiations. Instead, she stressed that alternative sources are available and that gas storage levels in the region are high.
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While the EU aims to phase out fossil fuel sources from Russia by 2027, gas has not been part of the sanctions the bloc has imposed against Moscow since the February 2022 invasion. This means companies are still allowed to enter into contracts and continue importing if those agreements are compatible. With current EU regulations.
Energy analysts noted that even if an agreement is reached to continue transit through Ukraine, it will only be temporary as the Commission prepares a roadmap to end the bloc’s energy imports from Russia. This strategy is scheduled to be unveiled in February.
Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since March, destroying about half of its power generation capacity and causing power outages across the country. Ukraine relies heavily on imports, including imports from Slovakia.
Slovakia continues to receive Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, which passes through Ukraine. A separate person familiar with the situation said on Saturday that Kiev may halt those supplies in a possible counter-move if Slovakia halts electricity exports.
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