Fico talked to Shmyhal about Lukoil’s oil transit and offered "technical solution"
On Friday, July 26, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal. The key topic of the conversation was the transit of Russian Lukoil's oil through Ukraine.
This was reported by the TASR news agency, Censor.NET reported.
It is noted that during the conversation, Fico offered the head of the Ukrainian government a "technical solution" to the transit of Russian oil, "in which several states would have to participate," including Slovakia.
However, the Slovak side did not disclose the details of the proposed solution.
"The resumption of transit of some Russian oil is extremely important for the Slovneft refinery, as alternative sources of oil are more expensive and may be technologically unsuitable," the Slovak government emphasized.
They also noted that in the coming days and hours "intensive negotiations will continue at the highest political and professional level."
As a reminder, on July 18, Slovakia and Hungary announced that Ukraine had stopped the transit of Lukoil's oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
"Lukoil has been under sanctions in Ukraine since 2018, but they were limited - they only concerned the withdrawal of capital, restrictions on trade operations, and a ban on participation in the privatization or lease of state property. In June 2024, the National Security and Defense Council significantly expanded them, adding, among other things, a ban on transit.
