SNS Wants Blanar to Summon Ukrainian Ambassador over Ukraine Attacking Druzhba

Bratislava, 22 August (TASR) - The junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) to immediately summon the Ukrainian ambassador in connection with the attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, SNS spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova told TASR on Friday. Ukraine, with its position and attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, has shown that it is not ripe for joining NATO or the European Union, stated SNS. "The Slovak National Party believes that the foreign affairs minister will strongly warn the Ukrainian ambassador that these attacks threaten the interests of Slovakia. At the same time, we demand that the issue of compensation for the €3 billion aid provided by Slovakia to Ukraine is raised," reads the party's statement. According to the SNS, it has been proven that in recent days that Ukraine has "repeatedly and unreasonably attacked" targets of the Druzhba oil pipeline. The party claims that Ukraine, despite a difficult situation, is misusing its position. "At the moment, when peace negotiations are underway, it is obvious that the Ukrainian side has only one goal - to harm the interests of Slovakia and Hungary. The Druzhba oil pipeline is a strategic oil pipeline for the petrochemical industry in Eastern Europe," stated SNS, which "protests against Slovakia continuing to support the interests of Ukraine in any area." Ukraine's armed forces have attacked the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure on Russian territory three times in nine days, and supplies via this pipeline, which also transports oil to Slovakia and Hungary, have thus been suspended. The Slovak and Hungarian Foreign Affairs Ministers, Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and Peter Szijjarto, respectively, sent a joint open letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen on Friday concerning this. The two foreign ministers called on the European Commission (EC) to immediately ensure adherence to commitments related to the security of energy supplies of EU-member states. ko/df