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Zelenskyy Eyes Slovakia Ties Reset
(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a diplomatic phone call Saturday with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, signaling a potential thaw in relations between the two countries following months of bitter dispute over Russian oil transit.
"We need strong relations between our countries, and both of us are interested in this," Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on X following the call.
Zelenskyy expressed encouragement that Bratislava supports Kyiv's bid for European Union membership and is prepared to share its own accession experience with Ukraine. The two leaders also exchanged reciprocal invitations to visit each other's capitals.
"Our teams will work on scheduling it," Zelenskyy added.
The call comes after a prolonged diplomatic rupture between Kyiv and Bratislava triggered by the suspension of Russian crude oil transit through the southern stretch of the Druzhba pipeline since late January. Ukraine attributed the halt to damage caused by a Russian strike, while Slovakia and neighboring Hungary accused Kyiv of deliberately cutting off deliveries to gain political leverage — a charge that prompted both countries to suspend diesel fuel exports to Ukraine in retaliation.
The standoff began unraveling late last month when Slovakia confirmed that crude deliveries via Druzhba had resumed after Kyiv declared repairs to the damaged pipeline section complete.
The resumption proved consequential beyond the energy sector. It cleared the way for the unblocking of a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine — approved by the European Council in December — which Hungary had held hostage under outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who conditioned lifting his veto on the restoration of Russian oil transit.
At the height of the standoff, Fico had warned that Slovakia would "reconsider its hitherto constructive position" regarding Ukraine's EU membership if Kyiv continued to "harm Slovakia's interests in the supply of strategic raw materials."
Saturday's call suggests both sides are now eager to move past the confrontation and rebuild a working relationship ahead of what promises to be a critical phase in Ukraine's European integration process.
"We need strong relations between our countries, and both of us are interested in this," Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on X following the call.
Zelenskyy expressed encouragement that Bratislava supports Kyiv's bid for European Union membership and is prepared to share its own accession experience with Ukraine. The two leaders also exchanged reciprocal invitations to visit each other's capitals.
"Our teams will work on scheduling it," Zelenskyy added.
The call comes after a prolonged diplomatic rupture between Kyiv and Bratislava triggered by the suspension of Russian crude oil transit through the southern stretch of the Druzhba pipeline since late January. Ukraine attributed the halt to damage caused by a Russian strike, while Slovakia and neighboring Hungary accused Kyiv of deliberately cutting off deliveries to gain political leverage — a charge that prompted both countries to suspend diesel fuel exports to Ukraine in retaliation.
The standoff began unraveling late last month when Slovakia confirmed that crude deliveries via Druzhba had resumed after Kyiv declared repairs to the damaged pipeline section complete.
The resumption proved consequential beyond the energy sector. It cleared the way for the unblocking of a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine — approved by the European Council in December — which Hungary had held hostage under outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who conditioned lifting his veto on the restoration of Russian oil transit.
At the height of the standoff, Fico had warned that Slovakia would "reconsider its hitherto constructive position" regarding Ukraine's EU membership if Kyiv continued to "harm Slovakia's interests in the supply of strategic raw materials."
Saturday's call suggests both sides are now eager to move past the confrontation and rebuild a working relationship ahead of what promises to be a critical phase in Ukraine's European integration process.
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