Slovak leader Robert Fico has officially confirmed that his country may support the new 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, but this must take into account its requirements regarding energy prices and the automotive industry.
Points of attention
- Fico's team successfully incorporated their requirements into the draft conclusions of the upcoming summit of EU member states' leaders.
- The potential support from Slovakia highlights the importance of balancing economic interests with foreign policy decisions in the EU.
Fico voiced key demands
According to the Prime Minister, his team was able to push through wording on energy and the automotive industry in the draft conclusions of the upcoming summit of leaders of EU member states.
What is important to understand is that it was precisely these issues that Robert Fico used to condition his support for sanctions against Russia in the past.
If we see the conclusions that we managed to include in the final text — I will go through them again this evening — then I will perhaps inform Chancellor Merz that we agree with the 19th package. It does not concern us directly, but it is a good tool for negotiations.
Robert Fico
Prime Minister of Slovakia
As mentioned earlier, the pro-Russian politician sought from official Brussels to slow down the change in CO₂ emission standards for internal combustion automobile engines from 2035.
Moreover, he demanded that the problem of high energy prices be finally resolved after Slovakia's possible refusal to purchase Russian oil.
