Fico threatens European Commission with blocking sanctions against Russia over "Druzhba": EC has done nothing to force Zelenskyy to take action
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that the European Commission should forget about Slovakia’s support for the 20th package of sanctions against Russia if it "intends to continue prioritising Ukraine over Slovakia".
This was reported by ta3, as relayed by Censor.NET.
Criticism of the European Commission
In his video address, Fico sharply criticised the European Commission and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the halting of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, which he described as "deliberately harming Slovak interests".
He also criticised the European Commission for alleged "double standards", as, in his words, it prioritises Ukraine’s interests over those of EU member states.
Fico stated that Slovakia had received a "letter of threats" from Brussels over measures to protect the domestic fuel market, whilst Zelenskyy had received "letters full of love and understanding".
Fico’s threats
In this regard, Fico threatened to block the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and to reconsider the position on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
"The European Commission has done nothing to force the President of Ukraine to take action… If the EC intends to continue acting in this way and prioritise Ukraine over Slovakia, it should forget about support for the 20th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation or our assistance in Ukraine’s swift accession to the EU," Fico emphasised.
What led up to this?
- As a reminder, on 23 February, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that his country was ceasing to provide emergency electricity assistance to Ukraine due to the suspension of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, which had been damaged by Russian shelling.
- Ukrenergo stated that this move by Slovakia would have no impact on the situation in Ukraine’s integrated power system.
- On 16 March, the Slovak State Grid Operator (SEPS) sent a letter to Ukrenergo regarding the unilateral termination of the agreement on the mutual provision of emergency assistance.
