War in Ukraine: Slovakia considers retaliation against kyiv, Zelensky counts on Trump to stop Putin, … the latest on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Thursday, January 2, 2025, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Zelensky believes that Trump's “unpredictability” can help end the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that “unpredictability” Donald Trump, who is set to take office on January 20, can help end the war in Ukraine.

“Trump can be decisive in this war. He can help us stop Vladimir Putin. He is very strong and unpredictable,”, Volodymyr Zelensky said in a television interview, saying the US president-elect “really wants to end the war”.

Slovakia considers possible retaliation after gas flows through Ukraine are cut

The ruling coalition government in Bratislava will discuss retaliatory measures against kyiv after Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas exports to Slovakia through its territory, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.

In a video posted on Facebook, the leader said his party, Smer, was considering cutting off electricity supplies to Ukraine, reducing aid to Ukrainian refugees and demanding that Russian gas be transported through Ukraine again or receive compensation.

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A five-year bilateral contract between kyiv and Moscow for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine ended on January 1, amid a dispute between the two neighbors, with Ukraine citing national security reasons for not renewing the contract. contract.

Since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, which Ukraine and its Western allies denounce as an invasion, the European Union has taken steps to wean itself off its dependence on Russian energy. While Slovakia has other sources of gas, Fico, who has ended Bratislava’s military aid to kyiv while seeking to strengthen ties with Moscow, has said the country will lose some of its own transit revenues and pay higher transit fees for non-Russian gas supplies.

He also complained that Ukraine’s move, described as “sabotage”, would lead to higher energy prices in Europe. A Slovak delegation will discuss the situation in Brussels on Tuesday, he added. The ruling party is “ready to discuss and accept the suspension of electricity supplies and to significantly reduce support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia,” Robert Fico said.

“The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is the renewal of transit or compensation mechanisms to compensate for the loss to public finances of almost 500 million euros”, he continued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week accused Robert Fico of opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine, on the orders of Russia, which is increasing attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.