Slovakia and Hungary block the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia

Slovakia and Hungary blocked the adoption of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, as announced after a meeting of EU member state ambassadors on July 4.

Slovakia confirmed its position due to concerns about the negative economic consequences that the European Commission's RePowerEU initiative could have. This plan provides for a complete halt to Russian gas supplies to the EU from 2028, which, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico, threatens the competitiveness of the Slovak economy due to rising energy prices and risks to the country's energy security. Slovak officials and representatives of energy companies have stressed that they need guarantees from the European Commission to mitigate the consequences of abandoning Russian gas.

At the same time, Hungary also opposed the adoption of the sanctions package, but did not specify the conditions for lifting the blockade. According to diplomats, discussions on the 18th package of sanctions at the EU ambassador level will not resume until the end of the European Commission delegation's visit to Bratislava, which took place on July 3.

Source: Babel, European Pravda