Slovakia’s Fico warns of 'further measures' over Druzhba pipeline dispute with Ukraine
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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on March 19 that Slovakia may take further measures against Ukraine given the ongoing halt in Russian oil supplies.
Speaking after a European Council meeting, Fico claimed that the disruption has triggered a state of emergency in Slovakia’s oil sector. He then argued that Slovakia and Hungary retain the right to receive Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline and by sea until 2027, and warned that disruptions are being worsened by instability in the Middle East.
“It is strange that after everything the EU has done for Ukraine, we as a large international organization cannot persuade or force President Zelensky to allow immediate inspection of the allegedly damaged pipeline,” Fico said.
He also questioned whether delays in restoring flows are intentional efforts to cut Slovakia and Hungary off from Russian oil supplies.
The dispute comes as Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kyiv of slow progress on repairing the Druzhba pipeline, after it was damaged in late January by a Russian strike in Western Ukraine.
Slovakia has leveraged the dispute to block progress on the EU’s latest sanctions package against Russia, aligning with Hungary in opposing further measures. The package, which European leaders had hoped to approve last month, remains stalled amid the disagreement.
Landlocked and sharing a border with Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary have long relied on Russian oil and gas.
Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have been the most vocal opponents of cutting energy ties with Russia.
