Slovakia to join blocking of €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Slovakia could block a €90 billion European Union loan for Ukraine if Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party loses the elections.
According to Fico, the reason for the blocking was the suspension of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline through Ukrainian territory.
The head of the Slovak government said that on March 10 in Paris he plans to discuss this issue with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and offer Slovakia’s services in case the pipeline in Ukraine needs to be “tightened.”
In his opinion, Brussels can force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow inspectors to enter the pipeline.
“But the most important message will be that Slovakia is ready to take over the baton from Hungary if necessary,” Fico said.
He recalled that Hungary has currently blocked the allocation of a 90 billion euro loan from the European Union to Ukraine until the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was stopped as a result of the Russian strike on the city of Brody in the Lviv region on January 27, is resumed.
“However, I am not naive. The Ukrainian president has recently been talking about the resumption of supplies in a month and a half. That is, after the elections in Hungary, where he is counting on the victory of the opposition. Then there will be no chance of oil from the east. Unless someone else takes over the baton from Hungary,” Fico stressed, hinting that Slovakia could do this.
Fico is convinced that blocking the loan is a legitimate tool to achieve the restoration of oil supplies.
“In any case, now it’s the European Union’s turn,” the Slovak prime minister concluded.
Earlier, Fico claimed that satellite images he had confirmed the absence of critical damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline. According to him, Kyiv also did not allow inspectors to the facility.