Friday 26 July, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal.
This information was reported by TASR, as reported by URA-Inform.
It is reported that during the conversation, Fico offered his Ukrainian counterpart a “technical solution” for the transit of Russian oil, “in which several states, in particular Slovakia, would have to participate.”
“Resumption of transit of some Russian oil is extremely important for the Slovneft refinery, as alternative sources of oil are more expensive and may be technologically unsuitable,” the Slovak government noted.
The publication added that in the coming hours and days, “intensive negotiations at the highest political and professional level will continue.” The Slovak side did not disclose details of the proposed solution.
It is worth noting that Hungary and Slovakia received exceptions to the pan-European ban on imports of Russian oil after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Kiev recently ordered the cessation of transit of Lukoil oil products through the Druzhba pipeline.
Ukraine insists that the pipeline is carrying the same amount of oil as before, thanks to other Russian companies. Hungary and Slovakia say that Kyiv's decision threatens their energy security.
Recall that Slovakia previously reported that it threatened Ukraine over the ban on Russian oil transit: “We will have to react.”
