Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Slovakia that Russia's Gazprom would find alternative ways to deliver contracted gas to Slovakia after the end of transit through Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said he wasn’t ruling out the resumption of gas through Ukraine after a deal between Kyiv and Moscow expired at the beginning of this year.

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.

Slovakia is weighing retaliation against Ukraine including withholding aid if a solution is not found to Kyiv's decision to shut off Russian gas, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday after talks with EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

A meeting between Slovak, Ukrainian and European Commission officials over gas supplies planned for Tuesday has been cancelled because Kyiv will not participate, Slovakia said on Monday.

Under the slogan "Slovakia is Europe! - We've had enough of Russia!" Slovakian supporters of Ukraine demonstrated in Bratislava on Friday against Prime Minister Robert Fico. The protest rally in front of the government office was called by the citizens' initiative "Mier Ukrajine" (Peace for Ukraine),

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.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said Russia will if necessary deliver gas to cover the country’s domestic consumption this year, even as he seeks to restore fuel flows via Ukraine.