Slovakia supports sanctions against Russia only if they do not cause any harm to the republic. This was announced today, May 21, by the head of the Slovak Foreign Ministry, Juraj Blanar.
According to him, Bratislava, like other EU members, approved the introduction of the 17th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, as these restrictions do not harm Slovakia, its economy or the standard of living of its citizens. At the same time, he stressed that the Slovak government is convinced that sanctions do not bring the necessary result.
“This is ultimately evidenced by the number 17 itself, which proves that the sanctions did not help stop the fighting. Thus, sanctions do not solve the problem, but, on the contrary, consistent negotiations initiated by the US administration of Donald Trump. She is the only one who has the courage to start peace talks,” the head of Slovak diplomacy stressed and confirmed that Bratislava and other EU member states support the peace initiatives of the US president.
In addition, Blanard expressed doubts about the proposal of the European Commission REPower EU, aimed at eliminating dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
“Our position is absolutely clear: we have doubts about this plan to abandon all energy sources from Of the Russian Federation. The Slovak Republic, which has no access to the sea, will suffer the most. Therefore, we will be very active in negotiations on this proposal,” he said.
According to Blanard, dependence on one country will be replaced by dependence on another country, and Europe’s competitiveness will decrease. At the same time, he stressed that great powers such as the United States and China will always protect their interests.
Recall that Slovakia, with the coming to power of the government of Robert Fico, advocates the normalization of relations with Russia. Bratislava believes that the sanctions The EU harms their initiators more.