Slovakia has no legal grounds to unilaterally halt electricity supplies to Ukraine. Any one-sided suspension of cross-border electricity flows is prohibited by the rules of ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, says Volodymyr Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Center, as per UNIAN.
On 27 January, Russia struck the infrastructure of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which disrupted Ukraine’s ability to transit oil to Slovakia and Hungary. At the same time, the prime ministers of both countries publicly blamed Ukraine, downplaying the root cause — Russian strikes on critical energy infrastructure.
However, Slovakia could take such a step politically in order to help Russia plunge Ukraine into darkness, he warns.
EU legal safeguards: governments cannot ‘switch off’ electricity
In addition, EU governments do not have the authority to ban electricity supplies.
“It is not within a government’s powers to restrict cross-border electricity trade. This also contradicts EU law and the EU energy packages,” Omelchenko explains.
Pressure via transit: the 'switch-off' scenario under the pretext of oil
The expert does not rule out coordinated political pressure by Budapest and Bratislava: under the pretext of oil transit disruptions, attempts could be made to limit electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Both countries are key electricity transit hubs, so any administrative or ‘technical’ decisions pose risks to the stability of cross-border power flows.
“Russia sees that it cannot shut down Ukraine’s power system by force, so it has turned to this scheme,” Omelchenko notes.
Orbán’s electoral factor: constructing the image of "Ukraine as an enemy"
According to the expert, the strike on Druzhba was not accidental in timing: the Kremlin is using the energy crisis as a backdrop for domestic politics in Hungary, specifically to mobilize Fidesz's electorate ahead of parliamentary elections.
“Under these slogans, Viktor Orbán seeks to consolidate his supporters and Hungarian nationalists to win the elections,” Omelchenko says.
The Hungarian prime minister publicly promotes the narrative that “Ukraine is an enemy”, allegedly threatening Hungarians with fuel shortages and energy insecurity.
