Slovakia has opened a ‘second energy front’ against Ukraine on the orders of Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
The Ukrainian president accused Roberto Fico, his pro-Kremlin Slovakian counterpart, of acting against the interests of his own people to do Mr Putin’s bidding.
On Friday, Mr Fico threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine amid a dispute over Russian gas.
Ukraine will not allow Russian gas to transit through the country from January 1st, after the expiry of an existing contract. Kyiv has offered to supply nations that rely on the gas with its own domestic supplies instead.
But Mr Fico said ending Russian gas transit would drive up costs for the EU and Slovakia.
In retaliation, he threatened to cut off “the supply of electricity, which Ukraine urgently needs in the event of grid failures.”
Russia has targeted Ukrainian power plants in heavy barrages throughout the winter.
Mr Zelensky on Saturday said that “Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people’s interests”.