Bratislava - Saba:
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Monday that his country would request a postponement of the new package of sanctions against Russia until it receives guarantees from the European Union regarding mitigating the damage caused by the halt in Russian gas imports.
Fico said in statements following a phone conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik, "Until we in Slovakia receive sufficient guarantees to mitigate the damage caused by the European Commission's proposal to halt the flow of Russian gas and compensate for it, Slovakia will request a postponement of the vote on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which requires the approval of all EU member states."
Last Friday, Fico said his country was concerned about a possible increase in transit fees after the EU halted Russian energy imports, as well as the need to compensate Slovak households and the rise in gas prices.
He explained that if Slovakia abandons Russian gas starting in January 2028, Russian energy giant Gazprom could sue Slovakia for €20 billion ($23.58 billion).
Since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, several Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia and provided financial and military support to the Kyiv regime.
Through their material, military, and political support to Kyiv, Western countries seek to obstruct the objectives of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. However, Moscow has emphasized on more than one occasion that military operations in Donbas will not cease until all assigned tasks are achieved.
These sanctions have also had negative repercussions for the countries that imposed them, leading to higher electricity, fuel, and food prices in Europe and the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously asserted that the West's policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy and will not be effective. He noted that the sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy, and that the West seeks to destroy the lives of millions of people.
| more of (International) |