Slovakia abruptly cut emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine on Monday, escalating a bitter dispute over Russian oil shipments. The move comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined to meet with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico until Wednesday. Fico cited Ukraine's alleged failure to resume oil transit through the damaged Druzhba pipeline as justification, claiming intelligence confirmed the pipeline's functionality.

Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the pipeline attacks, with Slovakia and Hungary receiving EU exemptions to bypass Russian oil sanctions. The suspension of electricity aid, which Ukraine desperately needs due to Russian attacks on power infrastructure, signals a severe deterioration in relations between Kyiv and its EU neighbors. Fico warned further measures, including blocking Ukraine's EU membership aspirations, could follow if shipments don't resume immediately.