Slovakia’s Fico eyes deal Tuesday on EU’s Russian gas ban and sanctions package

Slovakia could back a new EU sanctions package against Russia on Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Fico said, as long as it first reaches a deal with European partners to cushion the effect of a proposed ban on Russian gas entering the bloc.

Slovakia has blocked the sanctions package over Bratislava’s concerns that a European Commission proposal to end Russian gas imports from 2028 could damage the country’s economic interests. Slovakia gets the majority of its gas from Russia.

“We need to win something in this fight, though it will not be a 100-0 result,” Fico told reporters in the Slovak capital on Saturday. His remarks were reported by Reuters. “We want political commitments, guarantees from partners and the Commission that this problem will not remain only on Slovakia’s back.”

“We want to resolve this by Tuesday because tensions are rising on all sides,” he added, according to Bloomberg.

He said a deal on the gas ban could mean Slovakia lifts its block on the sanctions deal when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Tuesday. He noted that he had spoken to the leaders of Germany and Poland in recent days.

He said the talks were exploring a cap on the fees Slovakia would pay for alternate supply routes.

The new EU sanctions round, which was proposed last month by the Commission, targets Moscow’s revenues from energy, banking and its military industry.