Blanar: Slovakia Secured Energy Guarantees by Blocking 18th Sanctions Package

Bratislava/Brussels, 18 July (TASR) - Slovakia's blocking of the approval of the 18th sanctions package against Russia was crucial in reaching an agreement on the European Commission’s plan to stop Russian gas imports, with Slovakia negotiating energy security guarantees, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's communications department quoted Minister Juraj Blanar as stating on Friday. „They were challenging negotiations with resistance to pressure from several member states, but we didn't back down. In the next negotiations on the European Commission's legislative proposal on the so-called REPowerEU, we'll point to the harmful effects of this proposal not only for Slovakia, but also for the competitiveness of the entire European Union,“ said Blanar. The 18th package of sanctions against Russia was approved by ambassadors of the EU-member states on Friday morning. The 18th set of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine is set to hit Moscow's revenues from the energy and military sectors, with the adopted measures including a lowered price cap on Russian oil and a ban on trade with companies operating the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. lin/df