The Slovak president plans to visit Ukraine, but only after resolving the gas transit issue.

He stated this in an interview with the TASR agency.

Pellegrini also noted that his visit will depend on the developments of the war in Ukraine "in the coming weeks and months".

"Then, next year, we will consider my potential visit to Ukraine," he said.

Since his inauguration, the Slovak president has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky twice, but these meetings did not take place in Ukraine.

What about the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine?

Back in August, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine does not intend to extend the contract with Russia for gas transit, which expires on January 1, 2025. However, Ukraine has discussed the transit of Azerbaijani gas to the EU.

This caused outrage in Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico personally traveled to Kyiv to persuade the Ukrainian government to extend the transit of Russian gas.

One of Fico's arguments was that if Ukraine "wants to maintain its infrastructure, it must use it." Additionally, he pointed out that both countries would benefit from the transit since Slovakia would pay Ukraine transit fees.

However, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal explained that imposing sanctions on Russian gas and depriving the Russian Federation of the means to finance the war through it is "a strategic goal for Ukraine".

After that, Fico stated that "if Zelensky does not give us our gas, it could lead to a serious conflict."