Fico: Slovakia wants to normalize relations with Russia, increase gas imports

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said during a meeting with Vladimir Putin that Slovakia wants to normalize relations with Russia. Slovakia is also increasing its imports of natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline, the last active pipeline route for Russian gas deliveries to Europe. These steps, however, are not in line with EU policy, which plans to completely end imports of Russian energy commodities by the end of 2027.

Although the share of Russian gas in meeting the EU's energy needs has fallen sharply in recent years, gas deliveries continue via pipelines and by sea in liquefied form (LNG). Slovakia is one of the countries receiving gas that flows to Europe through the TurkStream pipeline.

"I want to say openly that we have a great interest in normalizing relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation. Let us return to what used to be typical for our countries in terms of economic cooperation,"Fico said, according to Reuters, during a meeting with Putin in Beijing to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II.

According to Reuters, Slovakia has imported around 1.7 billion cubic metres of gas via Hungary so far this year. The connection through Hungary offers Slovakia the shortest route for receiving gas via TurkStream. A project is currently underway to increase transmission capacity between Slovakia and Hungary to 4.4 billion cubic metres a year, from the current 3.5 billion cubic metres.

"I want to thank you for the safe and regular gas deliveries we receive through the TurkStream pipeline," Fico told Putin during their meeting.

Fico also said the country was interested in possible participation by Russian companies in the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Slovakia. In June, Fico said Slovakia was preparing an international agreement with the United States, under which the new plant would be built by Westinghouse.