Slovak Prime Minister Commits to Veto in Promise to Putin
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that Slovakia will resist any efforts by the European Union to implement a comprehensive energy embargo on Russian fossil fuels. This statement came during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin...
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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that Slovakia will resist any efforts by the European Union to implement a comprehensive energy embargo on Russian fossil fuels. This statement came during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, where he also criticized Western initiatives aimed at establishing a “new Iron Curtain.”
Fico cautioned that cutting off Russian gas and oil supplies could lead to instability, particularly for nations like Slovakia that rely on Russian crude for their refineries. He remarked, “Stopping supplies could cause technological problems.”
The European Commission's REPowerEU plan intends to end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
“If the decision requires agreement from all 27 EU member states, we will use our veto right against banning the import of all types of energy resources,” Fico stated. He expressed concerns that a majority vote could lead to larger states imposing their will on smaller countries.
He criticized the existing sanctions on Russia as both ineffective and harmful to the EU itself. Fico also rejected the idea that US-sourced nuclear fuel from Westinghouse could substitute for Russian supplies in Slovak power stations, asserting, “It’s simply impossible.”
Additionally, Fico condemned what he sees as escalating efforts by the West to enforce isolation, noting, “There is a strong push to build a new Iron Curtain in various forms,” which he experienced firsthand due to travel restrictions imposed by EU states during his journey to Moscow. “I do not support this idea, and we will do everything so that through this curtain we can still shake hands.”
He described his trip to Moscow as a moral obligation, referencing the over 60,000 Red Army soldiers who died liberating Slovakia. “That’s why I considered it my duty to come here and pay tribute,” he explained.
Fico also responded to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who told him he was “on the wrong side of history.” In a post on his official account on X, he stated that Kallas, as a high-ranking EU official, “has absolutely no authority to criticize the sovereign Prime Minister of a sovereign country who approaches all European matters constructively.” He added, “How can diplomacy and foreign policy be conducted if politicians are not supposed to meet and engage in normal dialogue on issues where they hold differing views?”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
Fico cautioned that cutting off Russian gas and oil supplies could lead to instability, particularly for nations like Slovakia that rely on Russian crude for their refineries. He remarked, “Stopping supplies could cause technological problems.”
The European Commission's REPowerEU plan intends to end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
“If the decision requires agreement from all 27 EU member states, we will use our veto right against banning the import of all types of energy resources,” Fico stated. He expressed concerns that a majority vote could lead to larger states imposing their will on smaller countries.
He criticized the existing sanctions on Russia as both ineffective and harmful to the EU itself. Fico also rejected the idea that US-sourced nuclear fuel from Westinghouse could substitute for Russian supplies in Slovak power stations, asserting, “It’s simply impossible.”
Additionally, Fico condemned what he sees as escalating efforts by the West to enforce isolation, noting, “There is a strong push to build a new Iron Curtain in various forms,” which he experienced firsthand due to travel restrictions imposed by EU states during his journey to Moscow. “I do not support this idea, and we will do everything so that through this curtain we can still shake hands.”
He described his trip to Moscow as a moral obligation, referencing the over 60,000 Red Army soldiers who died liberating Slovakia. “That’s why I considered it my duty to come here and pay tribute,” he explained.
Fico also responded to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who told him he was “on the wrong side of history.” In a post on his official account on X, he stated that Kallas, as a high-ranking EU official, “has absolutely no authority to criticize the sovereign Prime Minister of a sovereign country who approaches all European matters constructively.” He added, “How can diplomacy and foreign policy be conducted if politicians are not supposed to meet and engage in normal dialogue on issues where they hold differing views?”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
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