Hungary is ready to ship natural gas to neighboring Ukraine at once while Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for talks with Ukraine, Russia and the European Commission to discuss the possibility of reversing gas flows to Kiev to offset a Russian gas price hike.
Financially-strapped Ukraine has been anxious to obtain affordable natural gas since Russia tore up a discount negotiated under Kiev’s former president Viktor Yanukovych and this month raised the price for gas from supplier Gazprom by 80 percent.
Relations between Ukraine and Russia have been in crisis since Russia’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula Crimea.
Fico told reporters on Thursday he supported plans to send gas to Ukraine but needed to ensure Slovakia gets paid and avoids violating contracts with Gazprom.
“The optimal solution would be a meeting of representatives of Ukraine, Slovakia, Russia and the European Commission, to discuss conditions under which Slovakia would be involved in reverse flow of gas,” Fico told reporters, a statement on the government’s website said.
Slovakia is the EU’s best-placed member nation to pump gas to neighbor Ukraine should Russia reduce or shut off supplies from the four pipelines that feed Slovakia via Ukraine.
But reversing flows along any of these pipelines would breach terms of contracts with Gazprom, a spokesman for Slovak pipeline operator Eustream said this week, The Moscow Times informs.
