Slovakia to allow approval of new EU sanctions on Russia on Friday, PM Fico says

Slovakia will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on Friday, Prime Minister Robert Fico said, Report informs via Reuters.

Fico said Slovakia had achieved as much as it could at this point, after blocking the EU's approval of the sanctions multiple times to demand guarantees against damages it fears from a separate EU plan to end all gas imports from Russia from 2028.

"At this point, it would be counterproductive to continue blocking the 18th sanctions package tomorrow," Fico said in a video message posted on Facebook.

EU countries' ambassadors will meet on Friday morning to approve the new sanctions, EU diplomats told Reuters.

The European Commission last month proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenue, banks, and military industry.

The proposed package included a floating price cap on Russian oil of 15% below the average market price of crude in the previous three months, EU diplomats have said.

The proposal would also ban transactions with Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines, as well as banks that engage in sanctions circumvention.

Slovakia has vetoed the package several times to try to win concessions on the separate plan to phase out Russian oil and gas, which, unlike sanctions, does not need unanimous support from EU countries.

Slovakia continues to import Russian energy, including gas under a contract running until 2034, and often takes pro-Russian views on Ukraine.

Fico said on Tuesday that Slovakia had received guarantees from the Commission on assistance in case of potential gas shortages or jumps in prices and transit fees, and assistance in disputes over potential damage claims from Russian supplier Gazprom.