Representatives of the Slovak leadership continue to threaten Ukraine, which does not want to lift the ban on the transit of oil from the Russian company Lukoil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary. Bratislava said it was preparing a response to Kyiv's actions.
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Photo – REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the cessation of oil transit from Russia to Hungary a “crisis situation.” The Prime Minister stated that his country “does not intend to be a hostage to Ukrainian-Russian relations,” NBN reports, citing Denník N.
Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar complained about the European Commission, which, according to him, is allegedly deliberately wasting time resolving the situation.
President Peter Pellegrini and Defense Minister Robert Kalinyak are threatening to respond to Kyiv's actions by cutting off electricity and gas supplies. The Slovak leader noted that the Ukrainian leadership needs to restore order as quickly as possible, otherwise Bratislava “will take certain measures” that will not benefit anyone in the region.
However, the supplies of “blue fuel” are mainly handled by Slovak private companies, from which they earn money. Opposition politicians reminded the country's leadership that reducing energy exports to the neighboring state would only harm Slovakia.
Earlier, the head of the administration of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Ukraine of “blackmail” by banning the transit of Lukoil oil.