Slovakia will block EU sanctions against Russia if they harm national interests – Fico

Slovakia will block European Union sanctions against Russia that harm its national interests, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday.

Fico said that “Slovakia wants to remain constructive within the bloc, but called the resolution a political instrument with a strong message.”

“If there are sanctions that harm us, I will never vote for them,” Fico said at a press conference.

On June 5, Slovakia's legislative body, the National Council, passed a resolution recommending that the government not vote in international organizations for new sanctions against Russia. Fifty-one of the 76 deputies present voted in favor.

The resolution is not binding, and the government can ignore it. However, Prime Minister Robert Fico has previously spoken out against tightening sanctions and demanded that the EU not interfere with Bratislava's purchases of Russian energy resources.

The leader of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, Michal Šimečka, said that the document increases the country's isolation within the EU. “The government is responsible for the fact that no one is talking to Slovakia,” he said, commenting on the results of the vote.

Source: Radio Svoboda