Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico insists that the issue of new anti-Russian sanctions in the European Union be discussed after resolving the problem with the upcoming suspension of Russian gas supplies to the community.
„I asked the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia to address the EU foreign ministers so that the issue of new anti-Russian sanctions is not discussed in Brussels next Wednesday until the problem with the [upcoming, according to the European Commission's plans] suspension of Russian gas supplies to the community is resolved“, Fico said.
The damage to Slovakia from the suspension of gas supplies from Russia, according to him, will amount to about 1 billion. EUR, as the republic will have to buy this raw material at higher prices from other sources. The country faces a fine of EUR 20 billion if “Gazprom“ demands compensation for Bratislava's failure to comply with existing contracts through international arbitration.
Fico insists on continuing supplies of Russian oil and nuclear fuel to Slovakia, and proposals to suspend imports, in his opinion, are absolutely unacceptable.
The Prime Minister criticized the EU's position on Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. “The European Union does not know what to do. The EU has become an organization that has forgotten its peaceful nature, significantly supporting the war in Ukraine. Now the EU cannot back down [in its approach to] the conflict between Israel and Iran. Why is the EU now talking about responsibility, about diplomacy, about peace in the case of Israel and Iran, and not saying this in relation to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. "This really interests me," Fico said.
The community, he said, should focus on peace initiatives in Ukraine. "We are not moving anywhere, nowhere. Russia continues to move in Ukraine, conquering more and more territories there. No sanctions are working. Nothing! And we are scratching our heads, inventing other nonsense, believing that this will harm the Russian Federation, which, of course, is not true," Fico said.
He called on the European Council to "devote much more to peace, diplomacy and proposals on how to end conflicts" at its upcoming meeting next week. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that they will be able to reach an agreement and that the final document of the European Council meeting will include provisions on the peace initiatives proposed by Slovakia.
Fico predicts serious changes in the activities of the EU and NATO. “I think there will be major changes in the functioning of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance. We must prepare for these changes“, the Prime Minister said.
Fico also said that he intends to commission an analytical report from Slovak scientists on the prospects for the development of the republic until 2040. Experienced diplomats will be involved in the work on this document. According to him, they will predict what can happen in international politics in the next 15 years.