Fico is making an obvious mistake when he bets on Moscow, Zelenskyj claims

The Ukrainian president wrote this on the X social network in response to Fico’s recent visit to Moscow and his rejection of Kiev’s offers to mitigate the effects of ending the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

“It was an obvious mistake on Fico’s part to hope that his shady plans with Moscow would last forever,” Zelensky wrote. “He bet on Moscow, not on his country, not on united Europe and not on common sense. It was his losing bet from the beginning,” added the Ukrainian president.

According to Zelensky, Kyiv has offered Slovakia help in its adaptation to a situation where no more gas will flow from Russia. “But Fico arrogantly refused it. Many in Europe warned him that he cannot do nothing and just wait,” Zelenskyj further stated, adding that Fico is now trying “with the help of PR, lies and loud accusations to shift the blame from himself onto someone else”.

The Ukrainian president further expressed his belief that further diversification of sources of energy supplies to Europe, cooperation with the European Commission and the policy of incoming US President Donald Trump aimed at increasing the supply of American gas to Europe will help to overcome “problems that arise as a result of the short-sightedness of individual European personalities”.

Ukrainska pravda quoted from Zelensky’s statement, which he described as insulting earlier statements by Fico, in which he called Zelensky a “beggar and extortionist.”

At the end of last year, when the existing contract with Russia expired, Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory, part of which was also destined for Slovakia. For this, Fico threatened to stop aid to Ukraine and veto the vote in the European Union in case the situation does not change.

Kyiv would consider extending the gas transit contract only if Russia was paid for the exported raw material only after the war it has been waging against Ukraine for almost three years.