BRATISLAVA, 3 May. It is in Slovakia's national interest to pump oil and gas to Central Europe via Ukraine through its transport network, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
„Transit of oil and gas through Ukraine to Central Europe using the Slovak transport system is in our national interest. We should raise this issue in every meeting with the Ukrainian political leadership,“ he said in a video address to the nation posted on his Facebook account (Facebook is banned in Russia because of its ownership by Meta, which has been branded extremist).
He recalled that he has a short meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Yerevan on Sunday evening ahead of the European Political Community summit on 4 May. Among the topics should be plans for Fico's visit to Kiev and Zelensky's visit to Bratislava, as well as preparations for regular Slovak-Ukrainian intergovernmental consultations.
„My relations with the Ukrainian president are characterised by conflicting views on many issues, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, the halting of gas transit [to Slovakia by the Kiev authorities] and the [EU] military loan [to Kiev],“ he said, recalling that he had refused to support the EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
„Slovakia will not participate in further announced loans to Ukraine,“ he said, adding that once Slovakia and Ukraine become two neighbouring countries, „they should engage in dialogue and try to find solutions that will not damage Slovak-Ukrainian relations“.
According to Fico, Ukraine can join the EU only if it meets all the requirements for candidate countries. Its entry into the community „will be most opposed by those countries that are now supporting it in the war with Russia,“ he predicted. „This is a cruel paradox that Ukraine will have to deal with.“
Slovakia wants Ukraine to be a „stable state“ after the end of the conflict, he added.
TASS/gnews.cz
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