Slovakia has turned to a new route for Russian gas, following Ukraine’s decision to cut off deliveries across its territory earlier this year. The move is part of Kyiv’s strategy to deny Moscow the revenue it uses to fund its invasion of Ukraine.
Nearly fully dependent on imported gas, Slovakia usually requires about 5 billion cubic meters annually, with domestic production meeting just 1% of demand. After Ukraine halted gas flows westward, Slovakia began receiving Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline, which runs through Turkey and Hungary.
Gazprom resumed deliveries to Slovakian company SPP, with volumes expected to double by April. TurkStream, which stretches 930 kilometers under the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey, connects to pipelines supplying gas to Hungary and Slovakia.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, one of the few pro-Russian leaders in the EU, defended the shift, arguing that geopolitical tensions shouldn’t drive up gas costs.
