Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday of opening a "second energy front" against Ukraine on the orders of Russia, as a gas transit dispute between the countries deepened.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to cut off back up power supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv stops transporting Russian gas to Central Europe.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Dec. 27 that his government will evaluate potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine, including halting electricity supplies, if Ukraine stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia after January 1.

By Yuliia Dysa (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday blasted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico over his reluctance to end his country's dependency on Russian gas, calling it a "big security issue" for Europe and saying Fico declined compensation.

Volodymyr Zelensky responded to threats from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. "It appears that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people's interests,

The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has warned Ukraine about the possibility of cutting off electricity supplies if Kyiv halts the transit of Russian gas. Additionally, Fico has proposed Slovakia as a venue for peace negotiations in the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian conflict.