Slovakia could take retaliatory measures against Ukraine after Kyiv halted the flow of Russian gas through its territory, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned Thursday.

The United Nations Refugee Agency said there were just over 130,000 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia as of December 8.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates. On 1 January, Kyiv shut off a pipeline that for decades was used to supply Central Europe with Russian natural gas.

Despite EU efforts to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Slovakia remains reliant on Russian gas under a long-term contract with Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Switching to alternative supply routes could cost Slovakia an additional €220 million ($229 million) in transit fees.

Slovak electricity grid operator SEPS has emphasised that electricity exports to Ukraine will not be cut off despite threats made by Prime Minister Roberto Fico. Source: Deutsche Welle (DW), a German international broadcaster and media outlet,

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that his government may reduce support for Ukrainian refugees and stop electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to the halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine.