Slovakia seeks more Russian oil and gas despite EU phaseout plan
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (photo: Getty Images)
Slovakia is sending a delegation to Moscow to increase supplies of Russian oil and gas. This comes despite the EU's plan to completely phase out Russian energy imports, according to Slovakia's Foreign Ministry, as reported by Reuters.
Slovakia wants Russian gas
The intergovernmental Russian-Slovak commission on economic, scientific, and technical cooperation will hold a meeting in Moscow on October 26. This will be the first such meeting since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
According to the ministry, the meeting will cover:
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Energy, including nuclear energy,
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Agriculture,
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The environment,
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Sports,
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Culture.
The meeting in Moscow will follow repeated visits by Prime Minister Robert Fico to the capital of the aggressor country.
"The fundamental topic will be energy and the possibility to cooperate in securing supplies of strategic resources," the ministry said.
The Slovak side is also interested in discussing gas supplies and the continuation of oil supplies, the ministry said.
"Forgot" about the EU plan
Slovakia, which purchases Russian energy resources, must stop buying gas by the end of 2027. This must happen under the EU plan aimed at depriving Russia of funds for its war in Ukraine.
The ministry said Slovakia would simultaneously develop relations with Russia and continue to honor its commitments within the EU and NATO. The country allegedly needs room for dialogue.
Intergovernmental consultations between Ukraine and Slovakia will take place in Lviv on November 5. At the same time, Bratislava is preparing a meeting of the joint economic commission with Russia for the first time in five years.
In addition, in May, Fico was forced to take a longer route to Moscow after Poland and the Baltic states refused to open their airspace to his plane.
