Blanar Asks Ukraine to Refrain from Attacks on Druzhba Pipeline

Bratislava, 26 August (TASR) - Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) spoke with Ukrainian officials over the phone and asked them to ensure that Ukraine's armed forces refrain from attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, noting that such attacks harm not only Slovakia but also Ukraine itself, TASR reported on Tuesday based on the minister's social media post published late Monday (25 August) evening. Blanar discussed the issue by phone on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha and on Monday with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka. He informed them about a letter sent to the European Commission regarding the protection of strategic energy infrastructure in connection with Ukraine's attacks on the Druzhba pipeline in recent days, leading to the suspension of oil transport to Slovakia as well. This was also criticised by other Slovak politicians, including President Peter Pellegrini. According to Blanar, both Ukrainian representatives assured him that they are interested in a constructive approach, and also thanked for the assistance Slovakia has been providing since the beginning of the military conflict. "We are jointly preparing the third joint meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments," informed Blanar. In his social media post, he also reiterated Slovakia's support for Ukraine’s ambition to join the EU, provided that all conditions are met. This will be facilitated by the adoption of "very important" reforms, including anti-corruption measures and judicial reform, he noted. The Ukrainian army has 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 therefore been suspended. For this reason, Blanar and Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Szijjarto have sent a joint open letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen on Friday, calling on the European Commission to immediately ensure adherence to commitments related to the security of energy supplies of EU-member states. jrg