Slovakia is preparing to challenge Brussels over plans to halt Russian gas supplies to the country—an initiative that Bratislava says breaches guarantees offered to the country.
Following Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico tasked senior ministers with preparing an analysis of the EU decision, saying, “This decision harms us enormously, and you know we did not vote for it.”
He added that the government wants to examine the commitments the European Commission signed, which he said were supposed to help Slovakia “at least in some way,” and to determine whether these commitments are being fulfilled.
In July, Fico blocked the EU’s 18th sanction package against Russia for weeks, denouncing the plan to cut Russian gas supplies by January 1st, 2028, as “idiotic.” He lifted his veto in exchange for commitments from the European Commission, including support for energy diversification, accelerated state-aid approvals, and a task force to guide Slovakia’s transition. These commitments were essential in securing Slovakia’s cooperation earlier this year—but Bratislava now accuses Brussels of failing to honor them.
Fico has also raised concerns about the EU’s intention to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, pointing to “legal uncertainties” and possible retaliatory confiscations.
Hungary has taken an even stronger approach. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has already declared that Hungary will bring the case before the European Court of Justice (ECJ), calling the Commission’s action “unlawful” and politically motivated.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó condemned the gas ban as an “unprecedented scandal,” declaring that Hungary “will not accept Brussels making decisions over national interests”. Budapest says the ban threatens its national energy security and economic stability.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia have been the two capitals most resistant to energy sanctions, with both countries relying on Russian gas for nearly 80% of their needs—a dependence that the Commission has previously recognized.
