EU summit set to call for a solution to Russian gas transit via Ukraine

Brussels, 6 March (ČTK correspondent) – The presidents and prime ministers of European Union countries are expected today to call for a solution to the problem of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is pressing for. This is according to the latest version of the draft conclusions of the extraordinary Brussels summit, which ČTK has seen. According to the draft, the leaders of the member states are expected to agree on a call to step up efforts to find workable solutions, including the resumption of gas transit.

Fico had previously threatened to block the conclusions of the EU summit if they did not call for the resumption of Russian gas transit. Today he softened his position, saying, according to media reports, before members of the Slovak parliament's European affairs committee that he would veto the summit conclusions if they made no mention of the need to resume transit.

Earlier working drafts of the conclusions did not mention gas transit at all, focusing mainly on ways to provide further support to Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russian armed aggression since February 2022. However, after a meeting of the member states' ambassadors this morning, the sentence in question was added to the text, apparently in response to Fico's demands.

Ukraine stopped transporting Russian gas at the beginning of this year after its contract with Russia expired. Kyiv justified the end of transit by saying that Moscow uses gas exports to obtain funds to finance its war in Ukraine.

Kyiv's decision brought Fico into conflict with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom the Slovak prime minister has repeatedly criticised.

The draft conclusions now include a call on the European Commission, Slovakia and Ukraine to „step up efforts to find workable solutions to the issue of gas transit, including its resumption“.

If Fico agrees to the revised conclusions, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could still stand in the way of their approval. He opposes further support for Ukraine and advocates negotiations with Russia on peace.