Fico Says Slovakia Interests Include Oil, Gas Transit via Ukraine to Central Europe

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. "Slovakia will not participate in further announced loans to Ukraine," he said, adding that once Slovakia and Ukraine are two neighboring countries, they "should engage in dialogue to try to find solutions not harming Slovak-Ukrainian relations." Ukraine, according to Fico, can join the European Union only when it complies with all requirements to candidate nations. Its accession to the community "will be opposed by those countries that are now supporting it in the war with Russia most of all," he forecasted. "This is a cruel paradox Ukraine will have to reckon with." Slovakia wants Ukraine to be a "stable state" after the conflict is over, he added.