Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has ordered the Slovak grid operator to cease emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, effective immediately, should Ukraine request assistance. This decision is contingent on the resumption of oil flow through the Druzhba pipeline from Ukraine to Slovakia, which has been halted since January due to attacks. Fico claims Ukraine's refusal to restart Russian oil transport is a political maneuver to pressure Slovakia, asserting that the pipeline remains functional and that Slovakia will not be blackmailed. While Slovak media suggest Ukraine can manage without this aid, with Poland and Romania offering support, the dispute has already impacted European efforts, leading to the failure of a planned 20th sanctions package against Russia and the inability to release a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, a situation described as a failure by EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas.