Fico refuses to unblock 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia: Respect Slovakia’s interests
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico refused to unconditionally unblock the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia.
Fico wrote about this on Facebook in response to a letter from Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Censor.NET reports.
The day before, Fiala asked to lift the veto on new sanctions against Russia "for the sake of EU unity and security."
Fico replied that he continues to insist on EU gas guarantees for Slovakia.
"The Slovak Republic is a democratic and sovereign country. We have linked the sanctions package to the European Commission's proposal to cut off Russian gas supplies from January 1, 2028, and we ask the relevant players to provide the Slovak Republic with the necessary guarantees that we will have enough gas at reasonable prices afterwards. This is a matter of Slovakia's national interests. I ask you to respect them," he said.
Fico invited Fiala to joint talks between the two governments, as this would be "the best response to excessive nervousness in the international space."
Slovakia's Minister of Agriculture Richard Takacs also posted a response to the Czech prime minister on Facebook.
"Slovakia will not be a 'voting machine' for Brussels just because the Czech prime minister wants it. For me and the entire government, protecting our national interests is above political letters from Prague," he said.
