Slovakia won’t block next sanctions package if Druzhba oil flows, says foreign minister

Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said on Wednesday (April 21) that Slovakia would only support the next EU sanctions package against Russia once Russian oil flows resume through the pipeline.

Speaking in Luxembourg after an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Blanar described the suspension as stemming from "a political decision by President Zelenskyy not to allow oil through to Slovakia and Hungary."

The Slovak minister confirmed his country would not participate in a joint loan to Ukraine with the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Slovakia had approved the loan at the European Council in December on the understanding it would not co-participate, making "this matter closed for us," Blanar said.

The pipeline suspension after a Russian attack in January sparked outrage in EU members Hungary and Slovakia, which remain reliant on Russian oil imports.

Transit through the pipeline hit a 10-year low of 9.7 million tons last year, with Slovakia receiving 4.9 million tons and Hungary 4.35 million, according to Kyiv-based oil consultancy ExPro.

-Malgorzata Wojtunik/Reuters