The EC puts Orban and Fico in their place, affirming that Ukraine will make the decision regarding the resumption of gas transit independently.

The authority over the use of Ukrainian pipelines for gas transit remains with Kyiv. “It is up to Ukraine to decide how it wants to manage its pipeline systems,” said EC spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen. She commented on the consequences of the EU summit’s call on the European Commission, Slovakia, and Ukraine on March 6 to work more actively on resolving the gas transit issue.

The final document from the summit stated: “The European Council calls on the Commission, Slovakia, and Ukraine to intensify efforts to find acceptable solutions to address the gas transit issue, considering the concerns expressed by Slovakia.”

Itkonen added that, “The security of energy supply for member states is a priority for us. We are open to solutions that align with the objectives of REPowerEU (the EU’s energy independence plan), specifically reducing imports of Russian energy carriers.”

According to her and consistent with this approach, the EC is in contact with the concerned member states, particularly Slovakia and Hungary.