Slovakia wants to normalize relations with Russia, ramping up gas imports, PM Fico says

Populist-led Slovakia and Hungary — both EU members — have sought to maintain political ties with Russia

“I want to say openly that we are extremely interested in standardization of relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation,” Fico said

MOSCOW: Slovakia wants to normalize its relations with Moscow and is increasing imports of Russian gas through the TurkStream pipeline, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The comments clashed with the position of the European Union, which is seeking to wean itself off Russian energy imports to punish Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and come at a critical phase in efforts to end the conflict.

Populist-led Slovakia and Hungary — both EU members — have sought to maintain political ties with Russia, which supplies the majority of their oil needs.