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Slovakia to Rely on Russian Gas Until 2027, Going Against EU Energy Plans
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Slovakia’s state-owned gas supplier, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel (SPP), plans to meet the entirety of its domestic supply needs with Russian pipeline gas in 2026, leveraging an EU exemption for holders of long-term contracts, as was reported by Bloomberg on June 21.
Under new EU rules, all member states must cease spot-market purchases of Russian gas from January 1, 2026, and phase out Russian energy entirely by the end of 2027. However, Slovakia and Hungary secured transitional exemptions allowing them to continue imports under existing Gazprom contracts until December 31, 2027.
Since Ukraine halted flows via the Brotherhood pipeline earlier this year, Slovakia has relied on Russia’s TurkStream link through Turkey, though its current throughput covers less than half of Slovak demand.
SPP’s long-term agreement with Gazprom—running until 2034—positions it to ramp up Russian volumes once the exemption takes effect.
“Russian gas is the most economically advantageous for us, so we prioritize it. We could buy 100% of our needs. That’s about 8 million cubic meters per day,” said Michal Lalík, trading director at SPP.
Critics warn that Slovakia’s move risks undermining EU solidarity on energy security and slows progress toward diversifying away from Russia. Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government has resisted broader EU plans to eliminate Russian energy imports, arguing that doing so would inflict severe financial losses on households and industry.
Earlier, it was reported that Slovakia’s government warned it may continue to veto the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Russia unless Brussels permits Slovakia to honour its existing Gazprom contract and import Russian gas until 2034.
