Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates. On 1 January, Kyiv shut off a pipeline that for decades was used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.

By Albin Sybera in Bratislava Russian gas flows via the Brotherhood pipeline across Ukraine will end at midnight on December 31, cutting the last operating direct pipeline link from Russia to the West.

Leaders of the two countries have exchanged accusations and threats ahead of an anticipated halt to Russian gas flows via Ukraine

Angered by Ukraine's transit stoppage for Russian gas, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening to take measures against Ukrainian refugees. Speaking in the capital Bratislava on Thursday,

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that his government may reduce support for Ukrainian refugees and stop electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to the halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico described Ukraine's halt of the transit of gas supplied from Russia to the EU as "Zelensky's sabotage." In a video released on Thursday, he again threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine and discussed the possibility of reducing support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that his government will discuss countermeasures in response to Ukraine's cessation of Russian gas transit. Source: Fico in his address on Facebook, reported by European Pravda Details: Fico described the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia as "Zelenskyy's sabotage",