Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said his country is ready to support the European Unionʼs 18th package of sanctions against Russia. But Slovakia needs "guarantees" of €20 billion.
This is reported by the European media Euractiv.
On Monday, June 23, the EU Council held negotiations on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, previously proposed by the European Commission. Among other things, it proposes to lower the ceiling price set by the G7 and the EU for Russian crude oil from $60 to $45 per barrel.
After the talks, Blanár said that the package would not have a negative impact on the Slovak economy and the country is ready to support it. However, Slovakia will request “guarantees” and support to mitigate the consequences of disconnection from Russian energy sources. This is provided for in a different plan proposed by the European Commission as part of the REPowerEU project. According to Blanár, there are arbitrage risks that could reach €20 billion.
- 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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