Fico: Slovakia wants to reach agreement on gas supplies and sanctions against Russia by Tuesday

This was stated by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday, Ukrinform reports with reference to Reuters.

Slovakia is blocking the 18th package of EU sanctions due to its disagreement with the European Commission’s proposal to stop all imports of Russian gas from 2028. According to Bratislava, this could cause shortages, price increases, and higher transit fees, as well as lead to claims for damages from Russia’s Gazprom.

“We need to win something in this fight, though it will not be a 100-0 result,” Fico said. “We want political commitments, guarantees from partners and the Commission that this problem will not remain only on Slovakia’s back,” Fico said.

According to him, it is currently unclear whether an agreement will be reached, as some issues remain unresolved.

He added that one of the key topics of the negotiations is the limitation of transit fees that Slovakia will have to pay for alternative routes for the supply of non-Russian gas.

Fico also said that he discussed Slovakia’s concerns with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday, but did not provide any details.

Slovakia currently receives most of its blue fuel from Gazprom under a long-term contract valid until 2034. This amounts to about 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

After Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory at the end of 2024, Slovakia began receiving part of its supplies through Turkey and Hungary.

Although only a majority vote in the EU Council is required to approve the European Commission’s proposal to stop Russian gas imports, sanctions against Russia require unanimity.

As reported by Ukrinform, EU member states intend to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, but Slovakia and Hungary are blocking them.