Slovakia has warned it may halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine if oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline is not restored by Monday, February
23, escalating a growing dispute over energy flows and political trust in Central Europe.
The ultimatum came from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who said Bratislava is running out of patience after repeated delays in restarting oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline.
Oil flows to Slovakia were suspended in late January after a Russian strike damaged the Ukrainian section of the pipeline. Slovak officials say the damaged infrastructure has since been repaired, but accuse Kyiv of delaying the restart for political reasons rather than technical ones.
On February 20, Slovakia’s economy ministry said Ukraine had once again postponed the resumption of transit—this time pushing it back to Tuesday, February 24. Fico, however, made clear that Bratislava expects oil to start flowing a day earlier.
“If on Monday, February 23, the Ukrainian president does not resume deliveries, I will ask Slovak companies to halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine on the same day,” Fico wrote on social media. He added that Slovakia supplied Ukraine with twice as much electricity in January alone than during the whole of 2025, underscoring what he described as Slovakia’s goodwill.
Fico accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of acting against Slovak national interests, stressing that Bratislava does not support the war but expects fair treatment in energy cooperation.
The dispute has also fed into wider tensions inside the European Union. Fico said the situation validates Hungary’s earlier decision to withhold support for a proposed €90 billion EU loan package for Ukraine, citing concerns over energy security and accountability.
Hungary had previously issued a similar warning. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó demanded the resumption of Druzhba oil deliveries before Budapest would approve additional EU aid, after Russian crude supplies to Hungary stopped on January 27.
An alternative proposal to reroute oil through Croatia was rejected by Zagreb, which said EU solidarity is acceptable—but not the transit of Russian oil—highlighting the deep divisions within Europe over how to balance support for Ukraine with national energy interests. Photo by European Commission / Jean-François Badias, Wikimedia commons.