Fico told Putin that Slovakia will block EU plans to end Russian gas supplies after 2027
Bratislava/Beijing – The Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico (Smer-SD) criticized Ukraine’s attacks on energy infrastructure during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and told him that Slovakia would vote against the European Commission’s plan to end supplies of Russian natural gas from January 1, 2028. This was reported by TASR.
Robert Fico also confirmed that he wants to discuss this issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (September 5). Their meeting is to take place in the city of Uzhhorod near the Slovak border, the Prime Minister said in a media address.
“We react very sharply to attacks on oil infrastructure,” Fico declared. “I am to meet with the President of Ukraine in Uzhhorod on Friday, and I will raise this issue very seriously because it is not possible to attack infrastructure that is vital for Slovakia in this way,” the Prime Minister continued.
Fico does not understand some decisions of the European Union
Fico also told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he does not understand some EU decisions and supports the normalization of relations between the two countries.
“I do not understand some decisions of the EU. Therefore, I want to say very openly at this meeting that we are extremely concerned about the standardization of relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation,” the Prime Minister emphasized. He added that Bratislava wants to continue cooperating with Moscow in several areas, including energy and the supply of oil and natural gas. “As for the gas we receive through TurkStream, that volume is gradually increasing, and we are gradually reaching almost four billion cubic meters (annually),” Fico stated.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that Slovakia would vote against the European Commission’s plan to end supplies of Russian natural gas from January 1, 2028. He expressed confidence that by then “a lot can still change” and this measure will not be valid as it significantly harms European countries.
After the joint meeting, Putin and Fico continued the discussion on “the most sensitive issues” in a private setting, according to Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov, as reported by the TASS news agency. Fico later confirmed in a social media post that after the official part of the meeting with Putin, there was an almost hour-long discussion focused primarily on the war in Ukraine. After leaving, the Prime Minister also spoke separately with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The Russian President informed Fico about the course of negotiations between him and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister drew “several conclusions and messages from the conversation that he intends to convey to Zelensky on Friday.”
Fico announced that on Wednesday (September 3), he would first participate in a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia and later hold bilateral talks with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. (September 2)
“I do not understand some decisions of the EU. Therefore, I want to say very openly at this meeting that we are extremely concerned about the standardization of relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation.” Robert Fico
