Slovakia will stop blocking the 18th package of sanctions against Russia tomorrow, - Fico

Slovakia will lift its blockade of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia as early as tomorrow, July 18. However, immediately after this, the "second stage of the fight with the European Commission over Russian gas" will begin.

This was reported with reference to a statement by Fico, published on Facebook.

"Despite enormous pressure, threats, and criticism, we forced the European Commission to pay attention to how the stoppage of Russian gas will affect households and the Slovak economy. We have undoubtedly succeeded in this. The tension on both sides of the fight was palpable. I believe it is right to inform that we have overcome the first stage," said Fico.

According to him, Slovakia has written guarantees from the European Commission, signed by its head Ursula von der Leyen, which "confirm the commitments regarding gas prices, its availability, transit fees, and the possibility of recognizing an emergency if there is no Russian gas."

The Prime Minister emphasized that Slovakia is allegedly already spending 100 million euros on compensations for high energy prices.

"We have also received guarantees regarding possible arbitration disputes due to non-fulfillment of obligations under the contract with Gazprom, valid until 2034. In addition to the official letter, the Slovak government and the European Commission have also agreed on unofficial guarantees," Fico added.

However, he noted that Slovakia will still never support the proposal to stop the supply of Russian gas from 2028.

According to the Slovak Prime Minister, it would be counterproductive now to continue blocking the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. He noted that all negotiation options have been exhausted, and further blocking would threaten Slovakia’s interests.

"I speak about this openly and responsibly. We must maintain our positions in the EU and survive this ’dark period’ in the international organization we consider our living space. Therefore, I instructed our representatives in the EU to lift the blockade of the 18th package of sanctions tomorrow. But immediately after that, the second stage of our fight with the European Commission over Russian gas begins," Fico emphasized.