Prime Minister Robert Fico - one of the loudest Kremlin friends in the European Union - is quietly negotiating with Azerbaijan for a long-term gas deal. Not for a year, not for five - for at least ten. The deal, if signed, will end Slovakia's dependence on Russian gas.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba openly praises Azerbaijan as a "reliable partner." The head of the Slovak state energy company SPP, Martin Huska, confirms negotiations with Azerbaijan's state-owned SOCAR are under way. Experimental shipments started in December 2024 - successful.

Why now? Brussels has set the deadlines. By January 2027 member states must stop importing Russian LNG. By October 2027 - and also stop importing gas via pipeline. Fico, who persistently presented himself as an uncowed sovereign in the face of Brussels, is clearly doing the maths - not standing on principle.

But in the whole story there's a detail none of the politicians says out loud. Azerbaijan doesn't have unlimited gas reserves. When it has to deliver bigger volumes, it partly sources from - you guessed it - Russia, and "rebrands" it as Azerbaijani through swap arrangements. Slovakia will be buying "Azerbaijani" gas. And the molecules in the pipes will sometimes still be Russian.

For the Balkans, this is both a lesson and a reminder. The roots of energy dependence aren't pulled out with statements - they're pulled out with long-term infrastructure decisions. Macedonia still depends on Russian-via-Bulgarian gas, and every energy crisis makes that visible. When our own "Fico moment" arrives - will we be looking for an Azerbaijani, an Iranian or a Qatari alternative? The question is no longer whether - it's when, and at what price.