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Slovakia to Ask to Postpone Anti-Russia Sanctions Until Receiving Gas Guarantees - Fico

© Sputnik / POOL / Go to the mediabankSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.07.2025
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Slovakia will ask to postpone a new package of sanctions against Russia until it receives guarantees from the European Union on the issue of minimizing damage from stopping imports of Russian gas, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
"Until we in Slovakia receive sufficient guarantees to minimize and compensate for the damage caused by the proposal of the European Commission to stop the flow of Russian gas, Slovakia will ask to postpone the vote on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, the approval of which requires the consent of all EU member states," Fico said on social media on Monday after a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
He called the approach of the European Commission and the German chancellor to Slovakia's concerns constructive.
On Friday, Fico said Slovakia was concerned about a possible increase in transit duties after the EU stopped Russian energy imports, as well as about the need to compensate Slovak households and the hike in gas prices. If Slovakia abandons Russian gas starting January 2028, Russian energy giant Gazprom could sue Slovakia for 20 billion euros ($23.58 billion), the prime minister said. Slovakia will not approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia until these issues are taken care of, Fico vowed.
On June 23, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the bloc was expected to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia by the end of the week. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the same day that Hungary and Slovakia had blocked the sanctions package because Brussels wanted to bypass its own rules to prohibit Budapest and Bratislava from buying Russian oil and gas.
A view shows gas metering units at the Gazprom's Amur Gas Processing Plant near the town of Svobodny, Amur Region, Russia. The plant was launched on June 9, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.11.2024
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