BRATISLAVA, May 3. /TASS/. It is in Slovakia’s national interests to pump oil and gas to Central Europe via Ukraine through its transport network, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
"Oil and gas transit via Ukraine to Central Europe with the use of Slovakia’s transport system is in our national interests. We should raise this topic each time we meet with the Ukrainian political leadership," he said in a video address to the nation posted on his Facebook account (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).
He recalled that he is scheduled to have a brief meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Yerevan on Sunday evening ahead of a European Political Community summit on May 4. The topics are expected to include 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 characterized by opposite views on many issues, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, the gas transit halt [to Slovakia by the Kiev authorities], and the [EU’s] military loan [to Kiev]," he said, recalling that he had refused to support the EU’s 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine.
