Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threw down the gauntlet on Tuesday when he openly demanded a legal exemption to continue buying Russian gas until 2034 in exchange for lifting his veto on the new package of European Union sanctions against Russia, which the bloc is eager to approve to tighten the screws on the Kremlin.
The take-it-or-leave-it request raises serious questions on whether the political deadlock can be broken this week, as diplomats had hoped.
“The best solution to the situation would be to grant Slovakia an exemption allowing it to fulfill its contract with Russian Gazprom until it expires in 2034 – something the European Commission currently rejects on principle, arguing that approving such a proposal would undermine the essence of the anti-Russian sanctions,” Fico wrote on social media.
Slovakia’s opposition does not relate to the sanctions themselves but to the phase-out of Russian fossil fuels by the end of 2027. Energy imports are considered a fundamental source of revenue to finance the war of aggression against Ukraine.
The European Commission unveiled the roadmap in May and presented the draft legislation in June, based on gradual bans on short-term and long-term gas contracts.
As a landlocked country, Slovakia has vociferously protested the plan, warning it would raise prices for consumers, weaken competitiveness and endanger energy security.
Since the phase-out is subject to a qualified majority, Fico has resorted to sanctions, which require unanimity, to extract concessions from Brussels.
Tensions began rising last month during an EU summit, when Fico made a series of demands for financial compensation that were not met.
The prime minister says his country risks facing a lawsuit from Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly, worth between €16 and €20 billion due to the termination of its long-term contract. The Commission contests this thinking by arguing that the legal bans will act as “force majeure” in court and protect governments and companies against damages.
The impasse intensified technical dialogue between Bratislava and Brussels, with a focus on solutions to diversify Slovakia’s energy mix away from Russia, strengthen connections to neighbouring countries and mitigate price volatility.
Fico welcomed the outreach as “constructive” but held his ground, causing German Chancellor Friderich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to intervene.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, also became involved.
On Tuesday, von der Leyen sent Fico a three-page letter with reassurances about the implementation of the phase-out, including the possible deployment of state aid and EU funds to “compensate the negative impacts for households and industry”.
Von der Leyen also promised to clarify the criteria to trigger the “emergency break” and temporarily suspend the application of the gas bans in case of “extreme price spikes”.
The letter does not speak of a tailor-made exemption or financial envelope for Slovakia.
“We have been working closely wth member states most directly concerned, notably Slovakia, to ensure that the EU-wide phase-out of Russian energy imports will be gradual and well-coordinated across the Union,” von der Leyen wrote.
According to Fico, who posted the entire confidential letter on his social media, von der Leyen’s offer was flat-out rejected by his coalition partners.
“Their response is that the Commission’s guarantees to Slovakia are insufficient – some even described them as NOTHING,” he said.
“The representative of the Slovak Republic has been instructed to request a postponement of the vote on the 18th sanctions package.”
In Brussels, High Representative Kaja Kallas expressed her disappointment at the veto and wondered if domestic politics factored in Fico’s decision-making.
“These negotiations have been going for quite some time,” she said at the end of a meeting of foreign affairs ministers. “If your sensitivities are addressed, I think it’s important that you don’t present anything on top of it.”
Kallas said technical discussions would continue on Wednesday with the hope of achieving a deal before the end of the week.
“I’m optimistic and still hopeful that we will reach a decision tomorrow,” she said.
“We have 27 different democracies with 27 different public opinions and oppositions as well, so we need to navigate that process.”
Fico’s stated desire to continue buying Russian gas might soon clash with the White House’s foreign agenda. Donald Trump has threatened to impose “severe tariffs” on Russia and its trading partners if no progress towards peace is made in 50 days.