Ruptly
"Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused the European Commission of double standards in its handling of energy policy and the war in Ukraine, saying Brussels is prioritising Kiev over EU member states and harming Slovakia’s national interests. “Worse than the European Commission’s politicking is its double standard and its prioritisation of Ukraine’s interests over those of EU member states,” Fico said. He also accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of actions that are economically damaging for Slovakia, including halting energy transit flows. “We are hearing statements from the Ukrainian president that he has no interest in restoring the transit of Russian oil after halting gas transit. This is the second open, hostile and economically harmful step taken by Zelensky against Slovakia,” he said. Fico criticised the European Commission for what he described as a lack of response, while continuing to support Ukraine financially and politically. “The European Commission has done nothing to compel the Ukrainian president to change course,” he said. He added that Slovakia had been forced to declare an oil emergency and release strategic reserves to keep its refinery system running, as well as introduce measures to protect its domestic fuel market. The Slovak leader warned that continued tensions could affect Bratislava’s position on future EU sanctions against Russia and Ukraine’s accession process. “If the European Commission continues to behave in this way… it must forget about our support for the twentieth sanctions package, or our willingness to facilitate Ukraine’s rapid accession to the Union” he said. Fico accused Brussels of politically-motivated steps to 'weaken' the governing coalition in Bratislava. "The Commission would clearly prefer an opposition government, which would fulfil all its wishes. Perhaps they would even drag Slovakia into war," he noted, adding that the opposition 'would not dare' to contradict Brussels on matters vital to Slovakia's national interests, namely vetoing mandatory migration quotas and fighting measures to support Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Hungary and Slovakia earlier accused Ukraine of halting oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons, while Kiev insists a Russian strike damaged the pipeline."
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