Ukraine’s Foreign Minister meets his Slovak counterpart, energy issues take center stage
Photo: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár (t.me/Ukraine_MFA)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha met with Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár, discussing, among other topics, energy security, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reports.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
According to Sybiha, the sides addressed key issues following the recent dialogue between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“We focused on the future of European security architecture, potential for our defense cooperation via the SAFE mechanism, and issues of energy security. We also discussed the development of our bilateral relations and the next round of consultations between our governments,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry quoted Sybiha as saying.
Sybiha also thanked Blanár for Slovakia joining the Civilian Shelter Coalition and for its ongoing support of Ukraine’s EU integration.
Ukraine-Slovakia relations today
Two weeks ago, President Zelenskyy met with Slovak Prime Minister Fico in Uzhhorod.
The leaders discussed a range of important issues, including Ukraine’s EU accession, which Zelensky said Bratislava supports.
At the same time, Zelensky sought to convey to Fico that Russian energy resources have no future in Europe.
In particular, Slovakia and Hungary continue to purchase Russian oil, unlike other EU countries that have stopped importing Russian energy following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine and the United States are pressuring Slovakia and Hungary to abandon Russian energy. However, Slovakia recently clarified that it could only stop buying Russian oil and gas if reliable alternatives and developed infrastructure are in place.
