Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger reaffirmed that the country will stand united with the EU against Russia’s gas-for-roubles scheme.
His comment comes after a minister stated that Slovakia could pay for Russian natural gas in roubles if necessary to keep the gas flow uninterrupted, according to Reuters reporting on Monday.
As far as Russian natural gas imports go, Slovakia is one of the most dependent EU member states.
While Russia announced last month that it would start charging for natural gas in roubles, the European Commission stressed last week that EU companies with gas supply agreements in euro or US dollars should not give in to Moscow’s demand.
“In this situation, unity is key and we insist on respecting contract conditions and payments in euro,” Heger noted on Sunday in a Facebook post.
Earlier last week, Slovakian Minister of Economy Richard Sulik announced the EU member state would stand together with the bloc, but stressed that Slovakia would pay for Russian gas in roubles if that was required to keep the gas flowing.
Speaking at a Sunday debate show on RTVS public broadcaster, Sulik stressed “the gas must not stop… if there is a condition to pay in roubles, then we pay in roubles.”
At the same time, he stated that Slovakia would cooperate with the rest of the EU to find a joint approach to the issue.
Sulik pointed out that Slovenský plynárenský priemysel, the state-owned gas utility, made its last payment for Russian natural gas in euro and added that the next payment is due on 20 May.
Obstacle to sanctions
On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki pointed out that Germany is the main obstacle to tougher EU sanctions against Russia, stressing that Hungary is not a roadblock in this regard.
He made the comment at a press conference on Monday, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz won the parliamentary election on Sunday and came under criticism that it was not tough enough on Russia.
“We have to see that, regardless of how we approach Hungary, this is the fourth such win and we have to respect democratic elections… it’s Germany that is the main roadblock on sanctions,” Morawiecki concluded.The EU announced more sanctions against Russia last week, accusing it of committing atrocities in Ukraine.
