Slovak PM Says Nation Won’t Back New Russia Sanctions

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has voiced his opposition following the EU’s announcement of a proposed new set of restrictions.

Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, has stated that his country will not endorse the EU’s forthcoming package of sanctions targeting Russia. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Fico expressed concern that the proposed restrictions from Brussels could trigger an energy crisis in Slovakia.

On Tuesday, the European Commission introduced its 18th package of sanctions aimed at Russia, with a focus on energy exports, infrastructure, and financial institutions. These measures, presented as a means of pressuring Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, involve lowering the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel, prohibiting the future use of the damaged Nord Stream pipeline, restricting imports of refined products derived from Russian crude oil, and imposing sanctions on 77 vessels allegedly part of a Russian “shadow fleet,” which Brussels alleges is being used to circumvent oil trade bans. The package requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states to be enacted.

“The Slovak Republic will not support the upcoming 18th sanctions package against the Russian Federation,” Fico stated. He further indicated that Bratislava might reconsider its position if Brussels provides “a real solution to the crisis” that Slovakia would face as a result of losing Russian energy supplies.

Slovakia has implemented all EU sanctions against Russia since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. However, Fico has consistently opposed these measures since returning to office in 2023, arguing that they “are not working” and are more detrimental to EU member states than to Moscow. Last week, the Slovak parliament passed a resolution preventing government representatives from supporting new international sanctions against Russia, citing the economic harm to Slovakia’s industry and population. While Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has the authority to veto the resolution, it is binding under Slovak law, requiring Fico to vote against the new sanctions in Brussels.

Russia has dismissed Western sanctions as illegitimate and counterproductive. President Vladimir Putin has stated that the lifting of sanctions is one of Moscow’s conditions for resolving the Ukraine conflict. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and a presidential investment envoy, asserted that the EU’s pursuit of additional sanctions is politically motivated and intended to prolong the conflict.

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