Kalivoda: Government to Do Its Utmost to Maintain Reasonable Fuel Prices

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 15 March) The government will do its best to keep fuel prices at an acceptable level for all citizens, MP Peter Kalivoda (Voice-SD) said on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Meanwhile, his opponent on the show, MP Tomas Valasek (Progressive Slovakia/PS) claimed that fuel prices in Slovakia have been the highest in the EU for a long time. Kalivoda rejected Valasek's claims about the highest fuel prices. "Today we have some of the cheapest fuels in the European Union, thanks God, and the cheapest in the entire V4 (Visegrad Four - Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland)," he noted. According to him, the government is acting very proactively in the matter. "Tomorrow or the day after, negotiations with Slovnaft should continue, where the situation will be assessed, since, as you can see, the situation in the Middle East is changing dramatically from day to day. So another solutions will be sought," he added. Opposition MP (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) Vladimira Marcinkova, also on the show, criticised the cabinet for not yet convening the Security Council in connection with the oil situation. She said that if fuel prices continue to rise, the government will have to address the situation, for example, by reducing the excise tax. Coalition MP Marian Kery (Smer-SD) doesn't view it as a good solution, since it would result in a huge shortfall in the state budget. "By cutting the excise tax we would absolutely negate our consolidation, which, I admit, was very tough," he said. He criticised the opposition for not joining the letter that Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), with the support of the coalition parties, sent to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Conversely, Valasek called on coalition politicians to sign the letter that the opposition addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the aggression. At the same time, he criticised Zelenskyy for not allowing inspectors visit the Druzhba pipeline. "By doing so, he is harming himself, weakening his own arguments, and playing into Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's hands in his aggressive, hostile campaign," stated Valasek. The discussion also touched on the situation in the Middle East. Kalivoda and Valasek concurred that the US actions were ill-considered. They were not optimistic about peace being achieved any soon. Kalivoda warned that if the conflict continues, it will have a fundamental impact on global security. Kery also criticised the conflict. Conversely, Marcinkova, doesn't think that the conflict will last long. She believes that US President Donald Trump will seek ways to "back out" of the conflict. "He will declare some partial goal that he pronounces to be met, although this war was aimless since the very beginning," she said. ko