Slovak PM to EU Council president on Druzhba pipeline: EU cannot prioritise Ukraine over Slovakia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has told European Council President António Costa that the European Union cannot place Ukraine's interests above those of Slovakia or Hungary.

Source: Fico on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Fico held a 45-minute call with Costa on Monday 16 March.

Fico thanked Costa for devoting a substantial part of the discussion to the issue of "restoring the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline on Ukrainian territory".

"In a conversation with the President of the European Council, A. Costa, I emphasised that the EU cannot prioritise the interests of Ukraine over the interests of EU member states such as Slovakia or Hungary," Fico said.

He stated that his government cannot accept the "unilateral and harmful step taken by the Ukrainian president" with the aim of halting oil transit.

Fico said Slovakia expects EU institutions to "exert pressure on the Ukrainian leadership to restore the flow of Russian oil, which we are entitled to receive until the end of 2027".

"I also expressed dissatisfaction that the European Commission has so far presented no concrete proposals to reduce electricity prices, despite repeated requests from EU prime ministers and heads of state," he added.

Background:

• As European Pravda has reported, Hungary and Slovakia initiated a discussion on the Druzhba pipeline with the Council of the EU on 16 March.
• Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced on the sidelines of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that Hungary would continue its blocking stance until Ukraine restores the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed the view that reopening the Druzhba pipeline would be equivalent to lifting sanctions on Russia.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!