Kyiv [Ukraine], December 25: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday, December 24, criticized Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico regarding the conflict over the Russian gas deal.
Slovakia buys Russian gas through a pipeline in Ukraine. The deal expires at the end of the year and Mr Zelensky has said he will not extend it.
Reuters quoted Mr. Zelensky as saying that he had proposed to take money from frozen Russian assets and compensate Slovakia so that the country could buy gas from other sources as recommended by the European Commission, but Prime Minister Fico refused. Mr. Zelensky criticized Mr. Fico for not ending his dependence on Russian energy, accusing the Slovak leader of intending to help Russia generate revenue for the war in Ukraine .
Mr Fico has not commented but made a surprise visit to Moscow over the weekend to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and later said Russia had agreed to continue gas supplies. The Kremlin said it was a "very complicated situation that requires more attention" but did not comment further. Last week, Mr Zelensky said he could extend the deal but would only pay Russia when the conflict ended, conditions that would be difficult for Moscow to accept.
Regarding the war, Mr. Zelensky said that more than 3,000 DPRK soldiers were killed or wounded in Kursk province (Russia) while fighting Ukrainian forces. The leader predicted that North Korea could send more forces to Russia and warned that Ukraine would retaliate. The South Korean military estimated that North Korean casualties were at least 1,100 people. Moscow and Pyongyang have so far not confirmed that North Korean soldiers participated in the war.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
