On October 22, Slovakia - the only country in the European Union (EU) that has not yet supported the 19th package of sanctions against Russia - said it would vote in favor if its demands were met at the EU leaders' summit this week, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Fico said he would meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before the summit to discuss energy and the auto sector.
If we see the conclusions being included as desired, I will review them on the evening of October 22 (local time) and can tell Prime Minister Merz that we agree with the 19th package of sanctions, Fico said, adding that some of Slovakias demands have been included in the draft conclusion of the summit.
EU leaders will meet on October 23 to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and European defense. The 19th package of sanctions includes many measures in the energy and financial sectors.
Slovakia has so far still opposed the approval of a new package of sanctions against Russia, and at the same time asked the EU to propose solutions to reduce the negative impact of climate targets on the automobile manufacturing industry, as well as how to deal with high electricity prices in the bloc.
Mr. Fico said that the sanctions caused more damage to Europe than to Russia.
In contrast to most of its European allies, the Slovakian leader has also regularly maintained good relations with Moscow. Since last year, Mr. Fico has met directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin three times.
Not stopping there, Slovakia still imports energy from Russia, despite efforts to escape dependence on Moscow by the EU. According to Mr. Fico, the alternatives will cause heavy economic losses.
Slovakia's economy is heavily dependent on the auto industry, and the country and several others have criticized the EU's plan to ban internal combustion engines in the next decade. Slovakia also complained that high electricity prices are reducing the competitiveness of EU businesses compared to the US and China.
