SaS: Prime Minister Fico Holding EU Hostage, Parroting Russian Propaganda

Bratislava, 11 June (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party rejects Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) statement that Slovakia will not support a new package of sanctions against Russia, calling it irresponsible and dangerous for the country’s credibility within the European Union (EU) and NATO, SaS spokesperson Ondrej Sprlak told TASR on Wednesday. "Fico is holding the EU hostage. He's threatening to veto [the package] while proposing nothing himself. This isn't the behaviour of an ally, but of a saboteur," said MP Juraj Krupa (SaS). The government's task, according to the party, is to look for alternative energy sources, from safe countries. According to him, other EU-member states have followed this path. "It's pure cynicism. The prime minister did nothing for years but now pretends that he'll save us with Russian gas," stated Krupa. SaS declared that it will always stand on the side of values, freedom and cooperation with allies. "We're in the EU and NATO, but Fico is behaving as if we were a Belarusian province. Slovakia needs a leader who understands geopolitics, not a prime minister parroting Russian propaganda," the MP added. On Tuesday (10 June), the prime minister announced that Slovakia wouldn't support the proposed 18th package of sanctions against Russia unless the European Commission provides a real solution to the crisis that Slovakia would face following a complete halt to gas, oil, and nuclear-fuel supplies from Russia. lin/df