Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Facebook called for lifting sanctions on Russian gas and oil imports.
“The European Union and the European Commission (EC) must immediately resume dialogue with Russia and ensure such a political and legal environment that individual EU member states and the European Union as a whole can compensate for the lack of gas and oil reserves and make it possible to supply these strategic raw materials from all possible sources and [from all] directions, including Russia“, the Prime Minister's post notes. “Therefore, all senseless sanctions prohibiting the import of gas and oil from Russia must be lifted, an independent EU initiative must be launched to accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine, and decisive steps must be taken to restore the operation of the “Druzhba“ oil pipeline.
Fico said that on Saturday he had a telephone conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “We cannot fight the gigantic energy crisis at the national level alone“, he said. Fico also noted that the governments of Slovakia and Hungary, despite everything, are doing everything to protect the national economy and their citizens from “the ideological fanaticism and incompetence of the EC, the evil“ Vladimir Zelensky and the negative consequences of the war against Iran.
Oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine were suspended on January 27. The Slovak government declared an oil crisis in the republic.