The European Union's disconnection from Russian gas from 2028 poses an objective problem for Slovakia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted, adding that these issues will be discussed at the next EU summit. Merz, at a joint press conference with Romanian President Nicușor Dan on Friday in Berlin, expressed his gratitude to Slovakia for making it possible to approve the EU's 18th package of sanctions against Russia. "We are ready to solve (Slovakia's gas problem) together," the German chancellor stressed.
Asked by journalists whether the 18th sanctions package would hit Russia sufficiently, or whether work on the 19th package would soon have to start, Merz replied that the sanctions would have a significant impact on Russia, including on the country itself.
According to Fico, Slovakia has vetoed the 18th sanctions package a total of six times. In his own words, he gave the instruction to unblock it only after receiving written commitments from the European Commission (EC). However, Fico reiterated that Slovakia would never support the suspension of Russian gas supplies to the EU from 2028 as part of the RePowerEU plan.
Source: TASR
