Slovakia stopped blocking 18th package of sanctions against EU due to certain agreement - country’s Foreign Ministry
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar explained that blocking the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia was important to reach a certain agreement on energy guarantees after the country refused to buy energy from Russia.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Dennik N.
"It was a difficult negotiation and resisting pressure from several member states, but we did not back down. ... Our blocking of the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions was important for reaching a certain agreement on mitigating the consequences of a reckless disconnection from affordable energy from Russia," he explained.
Blanar noted that in the next negotiations on the European Commission's proposal to cut off from Russian energy supplies, Slovakia plans to point out the harmfulness of this proposal "not only for the Slovak Republic, but also for the competitiveness of the entire European Union."
"We remain convinced that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine will be achieved only through diplomatic efforts, not through dozens of sanctions, which often threaten European states themselves," the minister added.
Earlier it was reported that on Wednesday, July 16, the EU ambassadors failed to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia during a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the European Union in Brussels.
Diplomats said that Slovakia and Malta continued to refuse to agree on the package of sanctions restrictions.
Later, it became known that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had ordered the blocking of the 18th sanctions package to be lifted.
On July 18, the European Union approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Kaja Kallas called it one of the strongest.
