Photo: EPA
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has addressed an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging the restoration of oil transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Fico published the letter on Facebook on March 13 and called on leaders of Slovak political parties to support the appeal. He asked Ukraine to resume the pipeline’s operation if the damage is not significant, while promising that Slovakia would help with repairs if the infrastructure had suffered critical damage.
The Slovak prime minister said he regretted Kyiv’s decision to halt transit through Slovakia, arguing that it had caused both economic losses and serious logistical problems for the country. He also noted that the European Union had previously granted Slovakia permission to transport Russian oil.
According to Fico, the information he received does not confirm critical damage that would justify stopping the transit. He added that leaders of all political parties represented in the Slovak parliament are calling on Ukraine to restore the flow of oil as soon as possible.
They also suggested allowing an inspection mission from the European Commission and affected countries to assess the scale of any damage on Ukrainian territory. The proposal includes EU funding for possible repair works, as well as Slovak technical support.
Fico also reminded that about 180,000 Ukrainian refugees currently live in Slovakia, expressing solidarity with Ukraine and confirming Bratislava’s readiness to continue humanitarian assistance.
At the same time, the letter sparked mixed reactions in Slovak society. Some critics called it humiliating for Slovakia, while others argued that Fico’s earlier political stance and solidarity with Hungary had demonstrated a negative attitude toward Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European Commission on energy issues, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, said Brussels had proposed sending a fact-finding mission to Ukraine to assess the condition of the pipeline. The EU is currently awaiting Kyiv’s response.
