Fico Threatens to Block 18th EU Anti-Russian Sanctions Package
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has set a condition for supporting the European Union's 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which requires the unanimous consent of all EU member states.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Fico's Facebook post.
According to the Slovak prime minister, his country will not support the EU's 18th package of sanctions against Russia “unless the European Commission offers a real solution to the crisis situation in which Slovakia will find itself after the complete cessation of gas, oil, and nuclear fuel supplies from Russia.”
It should be noted that this is not the first time Fico has threatened to block any sanctions that the EU will impose on Russia if they harm his country's national interests.
At the same time, European Commission spokesperson Paola Pignone said during a briefing that the European Commission plans to approve the 18th package of sanctions despite objections from some EU member states. This was reported by FREEDOM TV channel.
"All 17 previous packages were adopted unanimously by 27 member states. This remains our goal for the 18th package [of sanctions]. And so, obviously, we are doing our homework by reaching out to all member states [of the EU], discussing with them why this is in our interest, and how we can address any concerns. We are working with all member states, including Slovakia, listening to their concerns and exploring how they can be addressed,” she said.
She also stressed that since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, the European Commission has been working closely with all EU member states on the gradual phasing out of fossil fuel imports from Russia.
As The Gaze reported earlier, on Tuesday, the European Commission presented the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
The new package mainly concerns Russian banks and the Russian energy sector, and also provides for the expansion of export bans and controls and the strengthening of measures to counteract the circumvention of sanctions.