BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia on Monday escalated a dispute with Ukraine over oil deliveries by halting emergency electricity supplies to the country suffering from daily blackouts caused by Russia's bombardment of power plants and transmission lines.
Russian oil shipments to Slovakia and Hungary have been interrupted since Jan. 27 after what Ukrainian officials say were Russian drone attacks that damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into Central Europe.
The two most pro-Russian countries in the European Union blamed Ukraine for deliberately holding back the oil shipments. They received a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil.
Populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Monday's decision was taken after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined to discuss the issue with him until after Wednesday.
''Given the seriousness of the situation and the declared state of oil emergency in Slovakia, we are forced to take the first reciprocal measure immediately. It will be lifted immediately after the resumption of oil transit to Slovakia,'' Fico said in a statement.
''As of today, if the Ukrainian side turns to Slovakia with a request for assistance in stabilizing the Ukrainian energy network, it will not receive such assistance,'' he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on both countries ''to engage in constructive cooperation and responsible behavior.''
The Slovak opposition condemned the decision.
