The United Nations Refugee Agency said there were just over 130,000 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia as of December 8.

Slovakia could take retaliatory measures against Ukraine after Kyiv halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned Thursday.

Russia had already cut off energy supplies to EU countries like Germany and Poland in the wake of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, a handful of member countries, including Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, have continued to purchase Russian gas despite a bloc-wide commitment to end reliance on Moscow by 2027.

Slovakia's Kremlin-friendly PM Robert Fico said the termination of the gas transit deal between Kyiv and Moscow would have a "drastic impact" on the EU. #EuropeNews

Despite EU efforts to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Slovakia remains reliant on Russian gas under a long-term contract with Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Switching to alternative supply routes could cost Slovakia an additional €220 million ($229 million) in transit fees.

Russia halted gas supplies to Europe after Ukraine declined to renew a transit deal. Slovakia is considering retaliation against Ukraine. While the EU claims no immediate energy crisis, non-EU countries like Moldova face severe shortages and heating issues,