Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that his country will halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, although regular imports are still ongoing. Sources familiar with the electricity procurement process in Europe confirmed that imports from Slovakia are continuing despite the suspension of emergency assistance.
Emergency electricity supplies are typically requested by Ukraine in urgent situations, such as unexpected outages or attacks on its energy infrastructure that exacerbate electricity shortages. According to sources, the refusal to provide emergency supplies does not violate European norms, as such services are governed by bilateral agreements and depend on technical and resource capabilities.
It is important to note that emergency supplies are not categorized as imports. Energy expert Volodymyr Omelchenko remarked that Slovakia has not been a primary supplier of emergency assistance, with most support historically coming from Poland. “I cannot recall when Slovakia last provided us with such assistance. We have received this help mainly from Poland,” he stated.
Earlier, ExPro Consulting analyst Daria Orlova reported that Hungary and Slovakia accounted for a critical share of Ukraine’s electricity imports, collectively representing 70% of the total in February, which equates to over 1.4 GW of capacity. Orlova noted that should all supplies be completely halted, it would be challenging for Ukraine to replace the full volume through alternative sources.
Furthermore, she emphasized that the operators of the European energy systems cannot make unilateral decisions regarding electricity supplies, as their activities are coordinated within the framework of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).
On February 23, Prime Minister Fico stated that Slovakia would suspend emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until the transit of oil through the Druzhba pipeline is restored.
Slovakia has announced a suspension of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, while regular imports continue. The decision does not breach European regulations, and experts note that Poland has historically been the primary supplier of emergency assistance.