Slovakia will not block the new EU sanctions package against Russia

Slovakia has stated that it will not block the adoption of the European Union’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia. The decision was made following the resumption of oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár wrote about this on Facebook.

"It has been confirmed that oil is flowing through Druzhba to Slovakia, and this is the result of targeted pressure that Slovak diplomacy, together with the Ministry of Economy, exerted on the Ukrainian side, as well as on the European Commission," Blanár wrote.

The Slovak Foreign Minister noted that the country would not block the approval of sanctions if the pipeline continues to operate normally.

"I have instructed our Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the European Union in Brussels that, if oil continues to flow without interruption and in the agreed volume, he should not block the written procedure for adopting the 20th package of sanctions at the EU level," the minister said. 

Slovakiahas begun receiving Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline.

According toAktuality, preliminary information indicates that the Ukrainian side was to provide this plan to the Slovak oil transporter "Transpetrol" on Wednesday, April 22.

As a reminder, Ukrainehas resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.

Earlier, European Council President António Costa publicly thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for restoring the section of the Druzhba pipeline. Ukraine announced the completion of repair work following damage to the infrastructure caused by a Russian strike. The EU described this as the fulfillment of agreements.

The European Commission expects that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will soon officially announce the resumption of oil pumping through Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline.