Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut off energy supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv stops transporting russian gas to Central Europe.Fico wrote

The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, threatened Ukraine on Friday with cutting off electricity supplies if Kyiv follows through with its announcement to halt the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia after the New Year.

Robert Fico sharply responded to criticism from the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, and threatened to stop supplying electricity to Ukraine. He stated this in his address on social networks.

Slovakia will consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting back-up electricity supplies after Jan. 1 if Kyiv, as expected, stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

The future of gas transit through Ukraine is at a turning point. If a last-minute deal isn’t struck by Wednesday, billions of cubic meters in gas flows could come to a halt.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday there was no time left this year to sign a new Ukrainian gas transit deal, and laid the blame firmly on Ukraine for refusing to extend the agreement that brings gas to Slovakia,

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Dec. 27 that his government will evaluate potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine, including halting electricity supplies, if Ukraine stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia after January 1.

Benchmark European natural gas futures jumped as much as 5% in early trading Friday after Russia's President Putin said it would be impossible to reach agreement on any new transit contract for the flow of natural gas through Ukraine to Europe before year’s end.