Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Monday invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to gas transit talks amid disagreement over Kyiv's decision to cut off Russian gas supplies, Reuters reported.

Ukraine cut off gas supplies to Europe earlier this year after a transit agreement between Kyiv and Moscow expired. Fico says the move has cost Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, dearly due to higher gas prices and lower fees for gas transit further into Europe, and he is keen to restore supplies.

In an open letter to Zielenski published by his office, Fico said the meeting could take place in Slovakia near the Ukrainian border and could be used to discuss technical solutions to the issue.

“Such a meeting would create a good basis for an open discussion of gas supplies to Slovakia and other countries via Ukraine,” Fico said.

Earlier, Slovakia's prime minister said a deal had been finalized that would have allowed gas supplies through Ukraine to continue if the company had changed ownership beforehand. But he said Zielenski refused to extend any gas supplies through Ukraine at an EU summit in December.