Slovakia will not block 20th package of sanctions against Russia, - Blanar

Slovakia supports EU sanctions against Russia

Bratislava will not block the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia following the resumption of transit through the Druzhba pipeline.

According to Censor.NET, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár wrote about this on Facebook.

"It has been confirmed that oil is flowing through the 'Druzhba' pipeline to Slovakia, and this is the result of targeted pressure exerted by Slovak diplomats, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy, on the Ukrainian side as well as on the European Commission," Blanár wrote.

The Slovak foreign minister noted that the country would not block the adoption of sanctions if the pipeline continues to operate normally.

"I have instructed our Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the European Union in Brussels that, provided oil continues to be supplied without interruption and in the agreed volumes, he should not block the written procedure for adopting the 20th package of sanctions at the EU level," the minister said.

What's happening with "Druzhba"?

On January 7, a piece of infrastructure was damaged in Brody, Lviv region, as a result of a Russian attack. Naftogaz reported that the Russian military had attacked a critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine. A fire broke out, and operations at the facility were halted.
According to the publication Enkorr, the facility in question is located in the city of Brody in Lviv region and is connected to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On February 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack. He also said that Budapest was preparing to lodge a complaint regarding transit issues.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia have announced a suspension of diesel fuel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies resume via the Druzhba pipeline.
On March 11, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a group of Hungarian citizens had entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.
President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the "Druzhba" pipeline would be restored by the end of April, "not fully, but enough to be operational."