Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has accused the Slovakian prime minister of deploying “lies and accusations” against his country amid a row over gas supplies.

Responding to Robert Fico’s accusations he was a “beggar” and “blackmailer” of EU countries, Mr Zelensky said it was Mr Fico who was deceiving voters.

“We offered our assistance to the people of Slovakia during their adaptation to the absence of Russian gas transit, but Fico arrogantly refused,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on social media.

“Many in Europe warned him that doing nothing and waiting was not an option. Now, he’s resorting to PR, lies, and loud accusations to shift the blame away from himself on to someone else.”

Kyiv and Bratislava have clashed over the former’s decision to end the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory. Slovakia has strongly criticised the move as the country remains heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies.

It comes after Mr Fico called Ukraine’s president a “beggar” and claimed Vladimir Putin was a more trustworthy ally.