Slovakia will hold a series of negotiations starting next week to secure supplies of Russian gas after its current transit contract involving Ukraine expires at the end of this year, government officials said on Friday.

Slovakia has a long-term contract with Russia’s Gazprom and wants to maintain its imports of Russian gas via Ukraine. But they will stop at the end of 2024, as Ukraine does not plan to renew the transit contract it concluded with Gazprom.

“You could see in the coming days, including during the Christmas holidays, extraordinarily intense negotiations at different levels and in different countries, which will begin as early as next week,” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said during a press conference broadcast on Facebook.

The news site cited Economy Minister Denisa Sakova as saying the negotiations would include the European Commission, Ukraine and EU member states.

Fico said it wanted to ensure continued supplies to the East to avoid paying more transit fees for gas coming from other directions.

“We see no reason to pay more for gas than is necessary for geopolitical reasons,” Fico said.

“I believe that, even in the event of a short-term disruption of supplies from the East, we are sufficiently pre-supplied, that we will find a common solution for several countries of the European Union and that we will maintain the transit of the gas through the territory of Slovakia as well as the transit of gas through the territory of Ukraine.

Slovak authorities sought alternative gas transit schemes through Ukraine that would not require a direct agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but found no agreement. REUTERS

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