Nada Bashir: Ukraine Says Hungary, Slovakia ‘Blackmail’ Kyiv Over Electricity, Calls Actions ‘Provocative, Irresponsible’

BASHIR: “That‘s right the has threatened to cut off electricity supplies, emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine within two days unless Ukraine decides to resume pumping Russian oil to slovakia and hungary, both countries that are still among the only two actually in Europe heavily dependent on Russian oil resources. Both leaders of both countries have maintained somewhat close relationships with Moscow despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. And as you mentioned, we‘ve had some very stark comments from Ukrainian officials describing this as blackmail. We‘ve heard from Ukraine‘s foreign ministry, which has condemned this move by both slovakia and hungary. They‘ve accused them of carrying out of carrying out ultimatums against Ukraine, despite the ongoing war. Kyiv said that these actions by both countries, in their words are provocative, irresponsible and threaten the energy security of the entire region. But at this stage it‘s unclear whether Ukraine will allow for the resumption of Russian oil supplies to both countries, which have been cut off for about a month now. They say, as a result of a Russian drone strike on essential pipeline infrastructure, or whether perhaps there is an alternative”