Slovakia is prepared to oppose a new EU sanctions package against Russia, but will not stand in the way of granting Ukraine a €90 billion loan.
This was announced by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, according to the Slovak publication Dennik N.
Previously, the loan had been blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost the election.
At the same time, Blanár presented the country’s position on future sanctions against Russia during a meeting of the European Affairs Committee of the Slovak Parliament.
According to him, Bratislava expects clear, transparent, and confirmed guarantees regarding the resumption of operations of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Previously, Slovak authorities emphasized that they would support anti-Russian sanctions only on the condition that they do not conflict with the country’s national interests.
At the same time, as Blanár stressed, the issue of sanctions is not linked to the decision regarding financial aid to Ukraine.
He also drew attention to the position of Hungary’s new government, which has signaled its readiness to support the provision of a loan from the EU.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously noted that following the Russian attack, operations on the Druzhba pipeline could resume by the end of April.
Last year, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck an oil pumping station on the Druzhba pipeline in the Tambov region.
The European Commission expects Ukraine to receive the first tranche of the total €90 billion loan as early as the second quarter of 2026.
It was previously reported that the first tranche of the €90 billion EU loan will be allocated to Ukrainian drones.
