Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated after an extraordinary Cabinet session on Thursday afternoon that the EU's sanctions against Russia have prompted him to ‘laugh a bit’.
“We have information that all goods [from the EU] are flowing to Russia via Belarus and Turkey, which is a NATO member,” said Fico, adding that the European sanctions are losing much of the desired effect and aren't changing anything in terms of Russia's behaviour, either. “We're damaging mainly ourselves,” stressed Fico. The Slovak Prime Minister stated that Slovakia has been one of the few EU countries that have introduced such an unprecedented measure as ensuring the reverse gas flow to Ukraine. So, Slovakia has a moral right to have a say on the sanctions. Fico said that he has consulted the issue with his Czech counterpart Bohuslav Sobotka, who was commissioned by his Government on Wednesday to present the Czech Republic's objections in talks on the latest package of sanctions.
