Bratislava - Saba:
Slovakia reiterated its objection on Friday to the 18th package of sanctions that the European Union intends to impose against Russia, during a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, according to Slovak media.
The Slovak News Agency quoted its Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that "Slovakia reiterated, at the ambassadorial level, its objection to the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia," adding that Bratislava "is ready to continue constructive engagement with the European Commission, but the ongoing negotiations have not yet led to the removal of its reservations regarding the RePower EU energy initiative."
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated in early June that his country would not support any new package of sanctions against Russia unless the European Commission presented a practical solution to the energy supply crisis. He also affirmed his commitment to continuing energy imports from Russia to the European Union, warning that "stopping them would lead to higher energy prices and undermine European competitiveness."
The RePower EU program, launched in the spring of 2022, aims to reduce the European Union's dependence on Russian pipeline gas by 2027-2028. Since then, the structure of Russian gas imports into Europe has changed, with the share of liquefied natural gas increasing to 40%, while the share of pipeline gas has decreased to 60%.
Last May, the European Commission unveiled a new roadmap aimed at completely ending imports of Russian energy resources by the end of 2027.
Moscow, for its part, asserts that the West has made a "grave strategic mistake" by abandoning imports of Russian oil and gas, and that this will lead to European countries entering a new and more costly dependency, especially since some of these countries continue to purchase Russian energy indirectly and through intermediaries at higher prices.
| more of (International) |