Fico: Slovakia Not to Okay Russian Sanctions, if REpowerEU Not Resolved

Bratislava, 24 June (TASR) - Slovakia will not give its thumbs-up to the 18th package of EU's sanctions against Russia - if the issue of the EU’s REPowerEU initiative is not resolved first, as, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), the initiative could negatively impact energy prices in Slovakia, TASR learnt from the Prime Minister's press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday. „If they tell us they won't postpone anything and want to adopt this ideological nonsense, I see no reason why Slovakia should support the 18th sanctions package. That's it. It's very simple – we also need to have some levers and tools to achieve our goals," Fico emphasized. According to Fico, the initiative would have a significantly negative impact on Slovak households and industry. He also criticized the fact that the proposal includes ending gas imports from Russia without compensation in the event of a loss in arbitration. „We have no reason to pay more for gas because of Ukraine, provided we can objectively get gas from certain realistic sources — that’s what this repowering is about," the Prime Minister noted. mf