Fico joins Orbán in opposing next round of Russia sanctions
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Another country, in addition to Hungary, is planning to block the European Union's new sanctions against Russia. Pro-Russian Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that he will not support the EU's new, 18th sanctions package, according to Reuters.
Fico stated that Slovakia will block the 18th sanctions package until issues related to energy security are resolved. His government opposes the EU's plan to fully phase out Russian energy imports by 2027.
"Tomorrow, Slovakia will not vote on the 18th sanctions package. We consider it to be one package with (the end of imports plan) and until fundamental issues are resolved, we cannot adopt further sanctions," he said.
The Slovak prime minister is resorting to Bratislava's usual excuses, claiming that new restrictions could allegedly lead to energy supply disruptions and rising prices. Fico is also reportedly concerned about potential arbitration lawsuits worth up to €20 billion due to the termination of contracts with Russia's gas monopoly, Gazprom.
Meanwhile, Polish European Affairs Minister Adam Szlapka, commenting on Fico's resistance, expressed hope that both Slovakia and Hungary could be persuaded to support the new sanctions. Poland currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU until early July, making this partly its responsibility.
"As in the previous sanction packages, I am optimistic here, we are working on it," he said. "I hope that it will be possible to close it by the end of the (EU) Polish presidency, and as we know, there are four days left," he explained.
The EU's fifth column: Sanctions obstruction
The positions taken by the governments of Russian President Vladimir Putin's allies — Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Robert Fico in Slovakia — on sanctions against Russia have long been a source of frustration within the EU.
Fico recently even dared to issue an ultimatum to the European Commission. On June 23, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó hastily claimed that his country and Slovakia had already blocked the adoption of the 18th sanctions package against Russia.
However, that claim was refuted on June 24 by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, who stated that Slovakia would support new sanctions provided there are guarantees that such measures would not harm the Slovak economy.
Nonetheless, the European Union has identified a legal workaround that would allow it to sidestep the obstruction from Budapest and Bratislava. The decision will be adopted under a legal framework that does not require unanimous approval.
