Zelensky and Fico to discuss phasing out Russian oil supplies, deputy minister says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to discuss the gradual phasing out of Russian oil supplies at today’s meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Uzhhorod. Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak told Reuters.

Arriving at today’s informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Copenhagen, Andarak also said Ukraine could offer Slovakia other solutions and that infrastructure was available to transport fuels from routes other than Russia.

Meanwhile, Zelensky said today, according to Reuters, that he would also meet European Council President António Costa in Ukraine alongside Fico, and confirmed that energy issues were on the agenda. The Slovak government office also said energy infrastructure would be one of the main topics of today’s talks between Fico and Zelensky.

At Tuesday’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, Fico indicated that he wanted to protest at his meeting with Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on oil infrastructure in Russian territory, which repeatedly disrupted Russian oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary in August. Fico also told Putin that Slovakia was interested in “normalizing” relations between the two countries and in cooperating with Russia, including in energy and Russian oil and gas supplies.

Fico’s meeting with Zelensky, the first since Fico was appointed head of his fourth government the year before last, comes after the Slovak prime minister had previously criticized Zelensky and the European Union’s approach to the war in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022. Fico will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko today. The Slovak prime minister has long faced criticism at home from the opposition and some media outlets for repeating Russian propaganda in connection with the war in Ukraine and undermining EU unity.