Slovakia has again blocked sanctions against Russia

On July 4, Slovakia, at the level of ambassadors of member states to the European Union, once again blocked the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.

This was confirmed to the Slovak news agency TASR by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia.

The Slovak government, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, has repeatedly stated that it will not support the prepared sanctions package unless it receives sufficient guarantees from the European Commission regarding the RePowerEU initiative. This plan provides for a complete cessation of Russian natural gas supplies to the EU from January 1, 2028, which, according to Fico, could have a significantly negative economic impact on Slovakia.

A group of EC experts arrived in Slovakia this week to discuss the issues. Representatives of the Slovak Ministry of Economy, energy companies and industry said that the RePowerEU initiative poses “a serious challenge to the competitiveness of the economy, in particular in terms of energy prices and energy security in Slovakia”.

• On June 17, the European Commission proposed to completely stop imports of oil and gas from Russia by the end of 2027. Under the proposal, new contracts for the import of Russian gas would be prohibited from January 1, 2026.
• On June 23, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Hungary and Slovakia would not support the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. According to him, both countries are against the European Unionʼs plans to completely abandon imports of Russian energy resources.

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