Germany urges Slovakia not to block sanctions package against Russia — demands put forward

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Slovakia at a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine for blocking the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico responded by saying that his country is ready to support this package of sanctions, but for this it must receive clear guarantees that energy security and availability of energy sources will not be threatened by “the ideological proposal of the European Commission to stop importing Russian gas from January 1, 2028”.

According to Fico, these should not be just empty political promises. And right now, there are no agreements on clear guarantees.

"The Slovak government appreciates the European Commissionʼs efforts to find a solution, but we refuse to negotiate under the pressure of loud statements," Fico writes.

He added that 900 German companies operate in Slovakia, and the German government should also be interested in ensuring that Slovakia has sufficient gas reserves at "reasonable prices" after January 1, 2028.

"This is a serious national and state interest — it is precisely such an interest that Germany itself would fight for," the Slovak Prime Minister said, adding that he was ready at any time to hold a constructive meeting with the German Chancellor, which "could significantly move things forward".

• 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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