Relations between Robert Fico in Bratislava and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv have become increasingly bitter over the month.

Ukraine is ready to consider the possibility of cooperating with European operators on gas transit to the EU, but it is the European Commission that must decide whether the European side needs such transit and whether it is ready to provide it.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has sought the resumption of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, will discuss the issue with European Commission officials on Thursday, his office said on Tuesday.

Slovakia avoided a shortfall in domestic natural gas supplies in January, despite previous fears voiced by Prime Minister Robert Fico following the halt in Russian gas pipeline flows

Václav Bartuška, the Czech Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for Energy Security, explained this statement. "For the Czech Republic and Europe in general, this does not matter fundamentally," he said.

The European Commission will continue talks with Ukraine on natural gas supplies to Europe and will include Hungary and Slovakia in these talks, according to a statement shared by an EU diplomat and seen by Reuters on Monday.

The ongoing conflict has highlighted the importance of diversifying gas supplies to build resilience against geopolitical risks.