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

Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister has raised the prospect of his country leaving the European Union and Nato, arguing that world events could consign them to the “history books”.

Russia would like to see a resumption in the transit of gas via Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, after the European Commission issued a statement saying it planned to continue talks with Kyiv on natural gas supplies to Europe.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanář stated on Monday that Bratislava is pleased with the European Commission's announcement regarding talks with Kyiv about gas transfer and is hopeful for the resumption of discussions about transferring Azerbaijani resources through Ukraine.