The issue of a reverse flow of gas from Slovakia to Ukraine isn't relevant at present, as gas from Russia should flow in an uninterrupted fashion through Slovak pipelines in 2014, Prime Minister Robert Fico said at a session of Hospodarske Noviny daily's HN club discussion forum on Tuesday.
The situation regarding gas supplies across Ukraine to Western Europe has calmed down, said Fico, adding that a dispute that Ukraine and Russia might well have entered into in January 2014 has apparently been staved off, as the two countries have become more co-operative. This, in turn, translates into a cut in gas prices for Ukraine, said Fico. “I suppose that the transport of gas across Ukraine has been secured,” said the PM. According to Fico, the decision of the Ukrainian Government not to sign an association agreement with the EU has been influenced by agreements between Russia and Ukraine. On top of lower gas prices, the latter country has been promised sizeable loans and an opportunity to be involved in large projects alongside Russia.
