Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico stated he is ending his country’s blocking of the EU’s latest 18^th sanctions package against Russia, after claiming he has secured energy guarantees for Slovakia in connection with the EU phase-out of Russian fossil fuel imports.  

“At this moment, it would be counterproductive to continue with the blocking of the 18^th sanctions package tomorrow as well,” Fico stated in a video uploaded to his Facebook social media page in the evening of July 17.  

“All the possibilities are now exhausted and insisting on our blocking position would threaten our interests,” Fico also stated, adding: “I am giving instructions to our representatives in the European Union to free the way to the 18^th sanctions package tomorrow,” July 18.

Fico said that “right after the second phase of our battle with the European Commission [over] the matter of Russian gas begins,” and that “we have a clear plan approved,” adding that Slovakia is supposed to have discussed compensations of gas prices through the EU funds, and the European Commission assistance if Slovakia is sued by Russian giant Gazprom for abandoning its valid contract with Gazprom.

Fico also highlighted that “the first phase of the battle with the imbecile proposal of the European Commission to end any imports of Russian gas in the European Union after January 1, 2028” was “ended” on July 17, referring to the 33^rd anniversary of adoption of the Slovak Republic sovereignty declaration, as part of the process, which led to the peaceful splitting of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

Fico has been blocking the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia, claiming that Slovakia needs a bargaining position with the EU to secure energy guarantees in connection with the EU’s Russian fossil fuel imports.

Slovak liberal opposition leaders had accused Fico of damaging the country's international standing and of not negotiating with the EU towards any concrete goals, and of focusing on populist claims on social media instead. 

Slovakia nearly eradicated Russian gas imports during the winter of 2022-2023, but imports spiked following the return of the Fico-led government in the autumn of 2023.

Slovakia has a valid contract with Gazprom until 2034, under which the Russian side is committed to sending its gas to Slovakia for free, covering gas transit fees all the way to the Slovak border. 

Fico claimed Slovakia would face a lawsuit “for €16bn” if it reneged on the valid Gazprom contract and also argued that it would incur “more expensive transit fees,” saying he was acting in the “national state interest” and that “we have never been in such a situation before,” stressing that in the past Slovakia has served as a key gas transit hub.

Previously, Fico had also argued that Slovak gas transmission utility Eustream would lose income from gas transit fees. Czech energy and media oligarch Daniel Křetínský’s EPH has a 49% stake and managerial control in Eustream, while Slovakia retains 51%.

Local analysts argue that it is the lobbying influence of EPH over Fico’s cabinet in combination with Fico’s Smer party’s reliance on the anti-establishment electorate, which in Slovakia is traditionally anti-western and has a strong pro-Russian element, that pushes Fico to keep the Smer electorate mobilised by claiming that Slovakia would find itself in an energy crisis if the EU phase-out plan is implemented.

This winter, Fico had also picked up a long-awaited end to a Russian gas transit through Ukraine to step up his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, which helped Smer make an improbable comeback to power in 2023.