Slovakia will never abandon Russian gas

"The Slovak Republic will never support REPowerEU in gas supplies, as this would harm Slovak households and the economy, and further reduce the competitiveness of the entire European Union. By submitting this proposal, the EC is blatantly ignoring the political mandate approved by the European Council. My position as Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic on this issue is consistent and should come as no surprise to anyone," wrote Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

He called the EU initiative a sanction and stressed that he naturally associates it with the proposed 18th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to him, the vote on the 18th package can only take place after the significant risks associated with REPowerEU in the field of gas supplies from 2028 have been resolved.

Fico noted that this initiative is not supported by Slovak opposition parties and businesses.

Under these circumstances, the head of government asked von der Leyen to use the coming hours and days to continue the dialogue between the Slovak government and the European Commission.

“In particular, in the interests of a clear interpretation of the commitments that the EC is making at the political level and which are formulated in your letter of July 15, 2025. By that time, the Slovak Republic will insist on postponing the vote on the 18th package of sanctions,” the letter says.

Slovakia has blocked the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for the second time.

Photo: Х.