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Slovakian Fico Joins Hungarian Orbán in Defying EU Over Russian Gas and Oil Imports
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![Photo of Maryna Kulakova]( "Photo of Maryna Kulakova")
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico backed Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán’s stance, saying he does not intend to stop importing Russian oil, Bloomberg reported on September 28.
“No one should tell us where to get our gas and oil, because according to international law, it is a sovereign country that decides on its own energy mix,” Fico said during a meeting with Orbán in Esztergom, Hungary, according to Bloomberg.
Fico echoed Orbán’s view, calling the European Union’s push to abandon Russian energy a “political and ideological decision.” He argued the move would hurt not only Slovakia and Hungary but also Europe as a whole.
Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, insisting they have no alternative.
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US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged European leaders to cut Russian oil purchases, warning that revenues from energy exports are funding the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.
Trump has also suggested he could use his close ties with Orbán to ask him to halt Russian oil imports. However, Hungarian officials said the country will continue buying Russian oil, citing “geographic constraints.”
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Bloomberg reported earlier that the EU is considering trade measures targeting the remaining Druzhba pipeline flows, possibly moving ahead without unanimous approval, as European officials and commentators press Budapest and Bratislava to join wider efforts to cut Russia’s energy revenues.
Previously, Ukrainian forces have recorded violations of the country’s airspace by reconnaissance drones that may have been Hungarian, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on September 26.
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