Slovakia to restart consultations with Russia in new break with EU allies

Slovakia will discuss Russian energy supplies in Moscow next week, resuming ​a cooperation process suspended after Russia's full-scale invasion of ​Ukraine, in the latest sign of divergence ‌from its ​European Union and NATO allies. The Russian-Slovak inter-governmental commission for economic, science and technical cooperation will hold a session in Moscow on October 26, the Slovak Foreign Ministry said ‌late on Tuesday. It would be the first meeting since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022.

The meeting will focus on energy, including nuclear energy, as well as farming, environment, sports and culture, the ministry said. CONSULTATIONS CAST DOUBT OVER EU END TO GAS PURCHASES

The ‌restart of consultations follows repeated trips to Moscow by Prime Minister Robert Fico, including in May this year. Fico's views ‌stand out in the 27-member EU since the defeat of pro-Russian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban in an April election. "The fundamental topic will be energy and the possibility to cooperate in securing supplies of strategic resources," the ministry said. "The Slovak side is also interested in discussing gas supplies and continuation ⁠of oil ​supplies."

Slovakia, which buys Russian ⁠oil and gas, is meant to stop the gas purchases by late 2027 under an EU plan to deprive Russia of financial resources that fund ⁠its war in Ukraine. The ministry said Slovakia, in developing relations with Russia, "continues to base its approach on its European Union and North ​Atlantic Alliance membership and keeping commitments of this membership", but wanted to create room for dialogue.

Fico, a populist ⁠nationalist serving a fourth term as the central European country's prime minister, has criticised EU sanctions on Russia and blamed Ukraine for an interruption ⁠in oil ​supplies to Slovakia earlier this year which Kyiv said was due to Russian attacks. He halted Slovakia's military aid for Ukraine, but exports of ammunition and military equipment continue on a commercial basis, including from companies with state ownership.

Fico has ⁠said he would prefer Slovakia to be neutral rather than a member of NATO, and has said he did ⁠not want Slovak soldiers to ⁠fight in a war with Russia triggered by NATO's mutual defence clause. He has also said the West may provoke a confrontation with Russia, while Western intelligence agencies have said Western actions ‌are purely defensive ‌and have warned of potential Russian escalation.