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.

Slovakia will consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting back-up electricity supplies after Jan. 1 if Kyiv, as expected, stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

The future of gas transit through Ukraine is at a turning point. If a last-minute deal isn’t struck by Wednesday, billions of cubic meters in gas flows could come to a halt.

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.

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.

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