Blanar: Slovakia Hasn't Received Relevant Information from Ukraine on Druzhba

Brussels, 23 February (TASR) - The suspension of Russian oil transit through Ukraine following an attack on a pumping station is a serious issue for Slovakia, requiring an immediate and transparent solution, stated Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday, emphasising that despite extensive and long-term assistance to Ukraine, Slovakia hasn't yet received relevant information about the extent of damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline and the possibilities for resuming supplies, TASR was told by the ministry's communications department. "The Ukrainian side's approach is incomprehensible to us. It isn't communicating with us and isn't providing us with relevant information, despite our request that our representatives be allowed to visit the site of the damage. We've also asked European Commissioner [for Energy Dan] Jorgensen to send an inspection team to the site to assess whether the damage is such that oil supplies can't continue," said Slovakia's chief diplomat. According to Blanar, Slovakia has long provided Ukraine with extensive and specific assistance, particularly in the areas of energy and support for the civilian population. He said that 15 percent of Ukraine's oil consumption is covered by production from the Slovnaft refinery. Slovakia also supplies gas through reverse flow and provides emergency electricity supplies in the event of outages caused by attacks on energy infrastructure. "We're helping Ukraine as much as possible. We don't understand why there has been no relevant response from the other side and why we aren't allowed to visit the site of the damage and find out how we can deal with the situation together," emphasised Blanar. The Slovak minister also mentioned the adoption of measures to ensure Slovakia's energy stability, stressing, in particular, the purchase of oil from alternative sources with the aim of transporting it to Slovakia via the Adria pipeline and the government's release of emergency supplies from state reserves to bridge the period of shortage. Blanar also emphasised that Slovakia has always been interested in constructive dialogue with Ukraine in order to avoid further reciprocal measures. "I firmly believe that the Ukrainian side will use the time for negotiations and that we won't have to take further reciprocal steps. It's essential for us to know what lies ahead, and therefore we need relevant information," stated Blanar, pointing to the decision of Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to temporarily suspend emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until oil transit to Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline is resumed. am