[[{“value”:”
[[{“value”:”
On Monday evening, a planned meeting in Brussels between Bratislava and Kyiv to ease tensions over gas was cancelled after the Ukrainian delegation said they could not attend, Euractiv has learnt.
For weeks, Slovakia has been feuding with Ukraine after the country ended an agreement to facilitate flows of gas from Russia to the EU. The sit-down, planned for Tuesday and to be chaired by the European Commission, was intended to resolve the ongoing fight.
Ukraine’s ending of the gas transit through its territory prevents Bratislava from profiting from continued transits westwards, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said last week. He said that the loss of transit fees would cost the country €500 million and threatened to retaliate by cutting electricity flows to the besieged country.
Ukraine called Tuesday’s meeting to discuss Fico’s threats to stop electricity supplies, a diplomatic source told Euractiv. Fico said he would use the meeting to seek compensation for the €500 million in claimed lost revenue.
“Due to the fact that the Ukrainian side will not attend tomorrow’s meeting, the European Commission has decided to cancel the meeting,” the Slovak government said in a statement.
The Ukrainian side offered to meet online, with the Commission preferring an in-person sit-down, the diplomatic source said.
This short-term cancellation will not end efforts to improve relations between Ukraine and Slovakia, with Kyiv accusing Bratislava of “opening a second front” in its war for survival.
“The European Commission, in cooperation with the interested parties, is looking for an alternative date on which the meeting could take place,” said the Slovak side.
Additional reporting by Alexandra Brzozowski.
[Edited by Donagh Cagney/Martina Monti]
“}]]
The post Commission last-minute cancels Slovakia-Ukraine gas dispute talks appeared first on Energy News Beat.
“}]]
Energy News Beat