Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Sunday accused Ukraine of delaying the resumption of work on the pipeline that transports Russian oil to Eastern Europe through Ukraine in order to pressure Hungary to drop its opposition to Kiev's future membership in the European Union.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made the remarks today at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Reuters reports.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Russian oil supplies to Eastern Europe via the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline have been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack.
''I believe that what is happening today regarding oil is political blackmail against Hungary because of this country's uncompromising position regarding Ukraine's membership in the EU'', Fico said at a press conference after a meeting with US Secretary of State Mark Rubio in Bratislava.
Two weeks ago, on January 27, a Russian strike destroyed the infrastructure of the ''Druzhba'' oil pipeline in eastern Ukraine, which also interrupted oil supplies to Slovakia.