SNS Disappointed at Slovakia's Support for 18th Package of Sanctions

Bratislava, 18 July (TASR) - The coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) is disappointed that Slovakia supported the 18th package of sanctions aganist Russia, party leader Andrej Danko stated on Friday. "Never in the history of the European Union [EU] has such pressure been exerted by the prime ministers of other European countries. It's deeply worrying that the EU continues to pursue an anti-European policy. Instead of realising that it can't prosper without cheap energy prices, it continues its destabilising process," said Danko. "It's clear that in the future we'll only be able to cope with the pressure placed on Slovakia through unity. SNS will do everything possible to reverse the decision to cut off Russian energy. Without Russian nuclear fuel, gas and oil, it's impossible for Slovakia or the EU to maintain their competitiveness with powers such as China, the USA or the Russian Federation," he said. Danko stated that in the context of the Green Deal and cutting off Russian raw materials, the EU can't remain competitive. At the same time, SNS expressed regret that Slovak President Peter Pellegrini didn't support Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on the issue. The 18th package of sanctions against Russia was approved by ambassadors of the EU-member states on Friday morning and then adopted by the Council of the EU. Created in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it's 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